: 
HSIVSRSI 


THE  BUILDING  MATERIALS 


ENNSYLVANIA 


l.-BROWNSTONES, 


THOMAS  C.   HOPKINS,  M.  S.,   M.  A 


To 


APPENDIX 
ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF 

PENNSYLVANIA    STATE   COLLEGE 
FOR    i8g6. 


399370 


BROWN  AND  RED  STONE  QUARRIES  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Corresponding    Nurr 

1    REEHLING  QUARRY,  GOLDS3ORO 
2  MIDDLETOWN  AND  HUMMELSTOWN  QUARRY 

bers  on  the  Map 

27  TYSON'S  QUARRY,  NORRISTOWN 
23  LOCAL  QUARRY, 
C        29  KENNEDY'S  QUARRY,   FORT  WASHINGTON 
Z         30  WALLACE'S  QUARRY, 
m         31   FROG  HOLLOW  QUARRY,  JOSEPH  PAUL 
£        31a  A.  P.  LOUX  QUARRY,  TRADESVILLE 

4  HUMMELSTOWN   BROWN-STONE  CO.,  4  QUARRIES 
5  CO-OPERATIVE  BROWNSTONE  CO. 
6  STOVERDALE  BROWNSTONE  CO. 
7  BUTTON  HUMME.LL  QUARRY 
8  AMERICAN  BROWNSTONE  CO.,  2  QUARRIES 
9  SWATARA  QUARRY 
10  DERBY  QUARRY,  FRANCIS  PAINTER  4  CO. 
11    MT.  GRETNA  QUARRY,  A.  G.  DeHUFF 
12  LOCAL  QUARRIES,  JOSEPH  WATSON  AND  OTHERS 
13  THUROER  AND  WIEGEL  QUARRIES,  SCHAEFFERTOV* 

£        33  MITCHELL  QUARRY,  NEWTOWN 
2        33a  WATSON'S  QUARRY, 

34  NICHOLSON  QUARRY,  YARDLEY 
35  VARDLEY  QUARRY, 
36  WHITE  QUARRY, 
N       37  LOCAL  QUARRIES,              " 
38  CARVERSVILLE  QUARRY,  CARVERSVILLE 
39  CONNER'S  2  QUARRIES.  LUMBERVlLLE 
40  SAMPSELL,  2  QUARRIES         " 
41  PAXTON  QUARRY 
42  LUMBERVlLLE  GRANITE  CO.,     " 
43  REISER  &  DOLAND  QUARRY              "| 

15  AMOS  PRICE  QUARRY, 
16  DANIEL  SHONOUR  QUARRY, 
17  GEORGE  BROOKS'  QUARRY,  BIRDSBORO 
18  MOUNT  CLARE  QUARRY,  MOUNT  CLARE 

20  NEWTON  WALKER'S  QUARRY,  PERKIOMEN  JUNCTK 

45  JOHN  REDINGTON   d.  CO.  QUARRY 
46  FOX  QUARRY 
47  JOHN  DANEKER,  3  QUARRIES 
48  JOHN  SCHMIDT,  LAUREL  RUN 
49  ELBOW  QUARRY,        " 
50  MOCANAQJJA  QUARRY,  MOCANAQUA 

WHITE 

22  PORT  KENNEDY  STONE  CO..  PORT  KENNEDY 
23  PORT  INDIAN  QUARRY,  P6RT  INDIAN 
24  DERR  QUARRY,  NORRISTOWN 
25  JOHN  BROWN'S  QUARRY,  NORRISTOWN 
26  SCHENLEIN  QUARRY,  NORRISTOWN 

I  , 


\ 


MAP 

OF 

EASTERN  PENNSYLVANIA 

SHOEING    LOCATION  OF  THE 

BROWN5TONE  OUARRIE5 

AND  THE  SHIPPING   EACILITIES, 


BY 


T.C.HOPKIN5.  5TATE  COLLEGE,  PA. 


SCALE: 

IS  MILES     »     1  INCH. 


OUTCROP  MAUCH  CHUNK  RED  SHALE  AND  QUARTZITE 
OUTCROP  NEW  RED  SANDSTONE  AND    SHALES 
QUARRY    OF    BROWN  OR   RED  SANDSTONE 


THE  BUILDING  MATERIALS 


PENNSYLVANIA. 


I.-BROWNSTONES, 


THOMAS  C.  HOPKINS,  M.  S.,  M.  A., 

Assistant,  Prnfesnor  of  K-:oiioiuic  G'enlf>{/y  in    The  Penn*ijlt)nnin  State  Cotleyc. 


APPENDIX 
To  THE  ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF 
PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE 

FOR    1896, 


LETTER  OF  TRANSM1TTAL. 


Sir:  In  accordance  with  instructions  from  you,  I  have  prepared 
the  following  report  on  the  brownstones  of  Pennsylvania.  T!he  brief 
time  allotted  to  this  work  necessarily  prevented  as  complete  and 
detailed  a  report  as  the  subject  really  demands,  but  as  the  value  of 
such  a  report  is  greatly  enhanced  by  its  prompt  appearance,  it  is 
here  presented,  trusting  that  so  far  as  complete  it  may  fill  an  urgent 
need.  It  would  be  desirable  to  have  an  accurate  map  of  the  region 
showing  the  location  of  the  quarries  and  of  the  outcrops  of  good 
stone,  which  could'  not  be  done  in  one  season,  and  the  accompanying 
map  is  the  best  that  could  be  made  in  the  time. 

The  aim  has  been!  to  emphasize  the  economic  side  of  the  question 
and  practically  all  the  time  was  given  to  that  phase  of  the  subject,  as 
the  little  work  that  has  hitherto  been  done  has  been  rather  ini  the 
line  of  pure  science, and  wihile  there  is  need  a.nd  opportunity  for  more 
work  on  such  lines,  such  as  the  determination  of  the  age  of  t.Le  New 
Ked.  its  total  thickness,  history,  etc.,  the  most  urgent  need  at  present 
is  information  on  the  economic  side,  and  it  is  such  that  we  have  en- 
deavored to  supply. 

The  people  o-f  the  State,  as  a  rule,  do  not  realize  the  local  value 
and  importance  of  these  sandstone  deposits,  nor  in  fact  of  many  o-f 
the  other  valuable  building  stones  of  the  State.     Quite  frequently 
the  large  part  of  the  cost  of  a  stone  building  is  in  freight  rates  on 
stone,  not  uncommonly  on  a  stone  inferior  to  one  near  home,  the 
existence  of  which  appears  to  be  unknown  or  at  least  unrecognized. 
This  oversight  may  be  to  a  certain  extent  due  to  the  architects  but 
not  largely  so,  as  the  architects  cannot  be  expected  to  make  a  per- 
sonal investigation  of  all  the  undeveloped  stone  regions,  which  is 
work  that  should   very   properly   come   under  the  province  of  the 
State  and  expenditure  on  this  line  would  no  doubt  be  rewarded  in 
the  greater  development  and  use  of  our  native  stone.  A  considerable 
percentage  of  the  stone  used  in  the  State  at  the  present  time  comes 
from  the  Indiana  and  Ohio  quarries.  While  there  may  not  be  equally 
extensive  deposits  of  good  stone  in  tIMs  State,  there  may  be  stone 
equally  good  in  smaller  deposits  which  could  be  used  to  advantage  if 
its  location  and  qualities  were  known.     The  Indiana  stone  costs  at 
the  quarries  ten  to  thirteen  cents  per  cubic  foot;  the  freight  rale 

(3) 


4  •»»  ••  '*•  *»'  APPENDIX.  Off.   Doc 

to  Philadelphia  is  more  than  double  that;  thus  $1,000  worth  of  stone 
costs  $2,500  to  transport  it,  so  that  we  pay  $3,500  in  Pennsylvania 
for  $1,000  worth  of  Indiana  stone.  Supposing  it  costs  double  the 
amount  to  quarry  the  stone  in  this  State  that  it  does  to  quarry  it  in 
Indiana  there  would  still  be  a  saving  in  using  home  stone  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  increased  wealth  to  the  State. 

The  other  sandstones,  the  limestone,  marble,  serpentine,  trap,  and 
granite  rocks  are  all  susceptible  of  a  more  extended  use  than  they 
have  at  present. 

The  demand  at  present  is  for  a  light  colored  stone  and  while  I 
believe  it  no-t  only  possible  but  probable  that  there  is  sufficient  stone 
of  good  quality  of  this  kind  in  the  State  to  supply  at  least  the  local 
demand,  if  met  that  of  outside  rna/rkets,  it  is  not  possible  with  the 
present  knowledge  to  direct  any  one  desiring  such  stone  to  a  place 
where  he  can  obtain  it.  Until  that  can  be  done  stone  will  continue  to 
be  brought! in  large  quantities! from  other  statesjrto)|ineet|the  demand. 
Investigation  in  the  State  along  these  lines  ought  certainly  be  a  most 
profitable  investment. 

I  found  quarrymen  in  New  Jersey  making  inquiries  about  a  light 
colored  sandstone  in  Clearfield  county,  stating  that  it  was  one  of 
their  dhief  rivals  in  the  eastern  markets,  yet  we  find  no  mention  of 
this  stone  in  any  of  the  state  reports. 

The  stone  wealth  of  this  State  is  greater  than  that  of  any  othrr 
state  in  theJJnion,  yet  less  has  fbeen  done  (towards  investigating  and 
making  known  to  the  people  the  occurrence  and  quality  of  this  great 
source  of  wealth,  than  in  many  of  the  oilers. 

Any  one  seeking  information  concerning  the  quantity,  variety, 
occurrence  and  value  of  the  building  stones  of  the  State  in  either 
official  or  private  publications  will  be  surprised  at  the  paucity  of 
such  information.  The  demand- for  such  data  led  to  the  preparation 
of  this  report. 

Permit  me  to  thank  you  for  your  kindly  interest  and  help  in  this 
work  and  to  acknowledge  the  uniform  kindness  and  courtesy  of  the 
stone  dealers  throughout  the  area  traversed. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

T.  C.  HOPKINS. 

To  t'he  President,  State  College,  Pa., 
January  16,  1807. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Lt-iter   of  transmittal 3 

I 'ART  I.— GENERAL,  FEATURES  OF  BROWNSTONES. 

JntiO'luctcry 7 

Literature   on    the    Pennsylvania    brownstones : S 

Definition    of   the   word    brownstone : 9 

<  olors  of  brownstone, !) 

Chemical   composition    and   analyses   of  Pennsylvania  brownstones,    10 

Mineralegical    composition    of    brownstones 15 

Structural    features    of    brownstones,     ...  1«> 

Textural   and   microscopic   features   of   brownstones,    17 

Varieties   of   brownstones   in   Pennsylvania,    2J 

Durability   of   brownstones 2L 

t'auj-es   of   the   decay  of   brownstones   in   cities 22 

Physical    tests,     23 

Specific    gravity 26 

Absorption    tests 28 

Crushing    tests 28 

Tab'e   of  crushing   tests 30 

Fire   tests 32 

Occurrence    of   brownstones    in    Pennsylvania 33 

List  of  brown  and  red   stone  quarries  in  Pennsylvania,    3J 

Methods   of  quarrying1  anl   handling  the  stone,    36 

Uses  and   adaptability  of  brownstones 3< 

List   of  buildings   constructed   of   Pennsylvania   brownstone, £9 

Statistics  of   prpduction   of  brownstone   in   the  State 44 

I-AHT  II.— LOCAL,  FEATURES  OF  THE  PENNSYLVANIA  BROWNSTONES 43 

General  features  of  the  New  Red  area 45 

A.— Southwest  part  of  the  New  Red  brownstone   area 48 

Hummelsto\vn 43 

Hummolstont?   Brownstone   Company 48 

Structure   of   the   Humme'stown   stone,    51 

Texture    of    the    stone,     51 

Colors    of   the    stone, 52 

Chemical    it  nalyses   of   the.   stone 52 

Mlcr<  scopic    features    of    the    stone,     52 

Crushing    tests   of   the    stone .• 53 

Durability, 55 

Methods  of  quarrying   the   stone 56 

The    P<  i  nsyivania    Brownstone    Company,     59 

The    Co-Operativ-3    BiTA\nstone    Company's    quarry,     60 

The    Stoverda  le    Brownstone    Company,     CO 

The  American  Browns-tcne   Company,    61 

The    Middletown   and    Hummelstown    quarry 61 

The    Brb    quarry ' 62 

The    S\vatara    quarry 62 

The    Derry    quarry 63 

Gold^boyo    quarry,     61 

LI. --Detailed"  description  of  the  central  pa,rt  of  the  New  R.ed  brownstone   area 6»> 

Mt.     Grttna     quarry 67 

Cornwall,    6-1 

Sohaefferstown    and    Kleinfeltersville.     68 

Reading,      69 

Mohnsvi  le 70 

Bmlsb^ro 71 

Phfmixville 73 

Valley    Forge 74 

Nrrrlstown.     Port    Kennedy 74 

Fort    Washington 77 

Doyle  stown 77 

Grenoble, 7s 

C.— Detailed   description   of   the   northeast   end    of  the   New   Red   area 70 

Newtown 79 

Yaidley g- 

Can  ersville 85 

Luniberville 8C 

(5) 


6  •  •».i.?-c  *««   APPENDIX.  Off.   Doc. 

Page. 

D.— The  Mauch   Chunk  Red  Stone 91 

Name 91 

Description 92 

Composition 93 

Physical  "tests 93 

Microscopic    character,     96 

Durability 97 

Uuses   and    adaptability 97 

Method    of    quarrying 98 

Distribution, 98 

Local  details  of  the   Mauch  Chunk  red  stone,    9S 

White   Haven   quarries 98 

Daneker's    quarries 99 

John  Redington   &   Company's  quarry 100 

Cooper  Brothers'    quarry 101 

Reiser  and  Doland  quarry,    102 

Laurel    Run   quarries,     102 

The    Elbow    quarries,     104 

Mocanaqua    quarry,     104 

PART    III.—  BROWNSTONES    OF    THE     UNITED    STATES    OUTSIDE     OP    PENNSYL- 
VANIA    io:» 

Colorado ! lOf, 

Connecticut 10<> 

Indiana 110 

Maryland, Ill 

Massachusetts Ill 

Michigan l!2 

M  innesota 112 

New    Jersey 1 1" 

New   York 118 

North    Carolina 117 

Ohio 117 

South   Dakota : 118 

Virginia,     m 

Wisconsin ; 11!> 

English  and  Scotch   Red  Stone 120 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE  PLATE'S— 

Facing    Page. 

Map  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania, In    front   of    title   page. 

I'LATK    ].— Micro-drawings    of    brownstone 10 

PLATE    2.— Berst    Holism    built    in    1800 22 

PLATE    3. — Bridges   of  Pennsylvania  brownstone 24 

PLATE    4. — Pennsylvania  brownstones  in  churches,    38 

PLATE  -5— Mauch    Chunk    Court-house,     43 

PLATE;    6.— Quarry   No.    1,    Hummelstown    Brown-Stone   Company;   Senator   Sawyer's   resi- 
dence   48 

PLATE    7.— Entrance  of  Pennsylvania  State     College  Engineering  building 50 

F'LATE    8.— The  mill,   yard  and  quarries  of  the  Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Company 52 

PLATE    9.—  Bullltt  Building  and  residence  of  Mr.   Ellis,   Philadelphia 54 

PLATE  10. — Micro-drawings  of  the   Hummelstown  brownstone 51 

PLATE  11.— Library,    Mt.   Holly,    and  Westminster  Presbyterian  church 5S 

F'LATE  12. — Governor's    Mansion,    Harrisburg 57 

PLATE  13. — Stone   saw  mill  and   traveler  of  Hummelstown   Brown-Stone   Company,    58 

PLATE  14. — Market  and  Fulton  National  Bank,   New  York  city;  doorway  of  same 60 

PLATE  15. — Arcade  Building,    Cleveland;    entrance   of   same,     fij 

PLATE  16.— Pettier  and   Stymus  Building,    New  York  city 61 

PLATE  17.— Residence   of   S.    F.    Everett.    Cleveland fifi 

PLATE  18. — Birdsboro  conglomerate;  John  Westley's  quarry 71 

PLATE  19. — Buck's  County  Court-house;  residence  of  J.   H.   Sternberg 72 

PLATE  20.— Brown   shale   quarry,    Mount    Clare;    Kennedy's   quarry,    Fort    Washington 71 

PLATE  21. — Norristown   quarries:   Tyson's;   Brown's 7ti 

PLATE  22.—  Lumberville  Granite   Company's  quarry:   1.  View   of  the  quarry   face;   2.  Edge 

of   the   quarry,    8S 

PLATE  23.— Paxson's  quarry,   Lumberton,   Pennsylvania ftO 

PLATE  24.— Reiser   and   Doland's  quarry;   Cooper' si  flagstone  quarry 9S 

PLATE  25.— Views  in  Daneker's  White  Haven   quarries „ 100 

PLATE  26.— Laurel  Run  Red  Stone:  Schmitt's  quarry;  Oliver's  quarry 102 

FIGURES   IN   THE    TEXT— 

1.  Section    on    face   of   Laurel    Run    Redstone    quarry 17 

2.  Vertical   section   across  quarry  No.    4,    Hummelstown   Brownstone  Company,    58 

3.  Section    across    the    Goldsboro    quarry (T> 

4.  Mt.    Gretna   quarry,    67 

5.  Micro-drawings  of  Newtown   and   Yardley   stone 80 

fi.     Mitchell's  quarry,    Newtown,    Pennsylvania 81 

7.  Micro-drawings  of   the   Lumberville   stone R7 

8.  Micro-drawings   of   the   Mauch   Chunk   stone ftfi 

?.     Map  of  the  United  States  showing  distribution  of  brownstone  quarries 100 


BROWNSTONES    OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 

BY  T.  <?.  HOPKINS. 

PART  I.     THE  GENERAL  FEATURES  OP  BROWNSTONE8. 


Introductory. —  Brownstones  are  among  the  oldest,  best  known  and 
handsomest  building  stones  used  in  this  country.  The  browustone 
fronts  of  New  York  ,and  other  eastern  cities  are  found  in  the  most 
fashionable  parts  of  the  cities  and  in  great  numbers.  It  is  true  that 
some  years  ago  the  use  of  brownstone  was  a  fad,  so  much  so  that 
all  the  quarries  running  to  their  full  capacity  could  not  supply  the 
demand.  As  a  result  its  use  was  carried  to  excess,  not  only  in  the 
use  of  much  inferior  stone,  but  in  the  monotonous  architecture  result- 
ing from  long  blocks  of  gloomy  brownstone  houses  with  no  mingling 
of  colors  and  little  variety  of  form. 

The  extent  to  which  brownstone  was  formerly  used  in  New  York 
is  shown  in  the  10th  census  report,  1880,  in  which  it  is  stated  that 
of  the  stone  buildings  in  New  York  city  78.6  per  cent,  'consists  of 
brownstone,  which  included  9,143  brownstone  buildings  in  the  city 
proper  and  19,154  in  the  city  and'  the  suburbs,  of  wlhic-h  79  were  en- 
tirely of  stone,  the  remainder  with  stone  fronts.  While  the  percent- 
age in  Philadelphia  was  not  given,  it  would  jprobably  be  much  less.  A 
writer  in  Stone  lesis  than  two  years  ago  (July,  1895),  <say®  that  brown- 
slone  has  not  gone  out  of  fashion,  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  as  much 
brownstone  is  being  used  in  New  York  to-day  as  ever  in  the  past, 
a  statement  which  can  hardly  be  substantiated,  as  a  reaction  has 
now  set  in,  and  the  craze  is  for  light  stone.  As  a  result  we  shall 
have  in  a  few  years  monotonous  blocks  of  light-colored  limestone, 
marble  and  sandstone.  By  the  time  this  second  climax  is  passed, 
a  more  rational  mode  of  procedure  will  prevail,  architects  and  build- 
ers will  begin  to  use  stone  that  will  harmonize  with  the  plan 
and  style  of  the  building  and  with  its  location  and  surroundings. 
Then  good  building  stone  of  different  kinds  and  different  colors  will 
be  in  demand.  Then  the  use  of  brownstone  will  again  increase,  as 
it  is  a  useful  and  valuable  building  stone,  one  of  the  best  if  properly 
used  and  not  abused. 

Reliable  information  on  the  different  brown  stones  is  very  scarce 
ami  widely  scattered,  so  that  one  desirous  of  information  in  regard 

(7) 


APPKNDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc, 

to  the  quality  and  accessibility  of  the  brownstones  iii  different  locali- 
ties is  at  a  loss  to  know  \\iineie  to  turn.  It  is  with  the  desire  par- 
tially to  fill  this  want  that  the  present  report  is  written,  It  is  in- 
tended primarily  for  the  Pennsylvania  brownstones,  but  the  chief 
commercial  features  of  the  brownstones  from  other  states  so  far  as 
could  be  obtained  are  given.  Most  of  the  ones  mentioned  come 
into  competition  with  Pennsylvania  brownstones  in  the  markets  both 
in  this  and  in  other  states. 

The  aim  has  been  in  this  report  not  to  fallow  beaten  paths,  but  to 
give  such,  information  and  data,|  concerning  our  ibrqwnstones,  in  as 
plain  terms  as  possible,  as  would  be  ot>  service  to  present  and  pros- 
pective quarTymeu,  to  present;  and  prospective*  buyers  and  (dealers, 
and  to  the  general  reader.  Aii  state  has  not  only  a.  right  but  a,  duty 
to  make  known  itsi  own  resources;  that  is,  t)oj  make  accessible  to  the 
reading  public  such  data  in  regard  to  th-'i  occurrence,  distribution 
and  properties  of  itsi  jiratural  products  as  will  lead  to  their  more  in- 
telligent use. 

Literature  on  Pennsylvania  Brownstones. —  Much  lias  been  written 
on  the  paleontology  and  some  historical  features  <:i  the  eastern 
brownstones  and  published  in  the  various  journals  and  proceedings 
of  scientific  societies.  These  papers  are  all  enumerated  and  classi- 
fied in  Bull.  85  of  the  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  The  Newark  System,  by  1. 
C.  Russell,  and  only  (hose  few  that  have  any  bearing  nn  the  econo- 
mics of  the  Pennsylvania  brownslones  are  enumerated  below.  All 
of  these  are  very  brief,  very  general  and,  with  one  exception,  local. 
There  may  possibly  be  a  few  other  references  to  the  occurrence  of 
the  brownst  tne  "In  other  reports  of  thiof  Pennsylvania  Geological 
cal  Survey,  but  none  that  have  any  bearing  on  the  economic  side  of 
the  question.  Merrill's  work  on  Building  Stones  and  the  10th  Census 
Report  referred  to  below  describe  briefly  the  building  stones  in  all 
the  states.  Reference  to  articles  on  the  brownstones  of  the  different 
states  are  given  under  the  name  of  the  state  where  they  are 
described  in  the  text. 

1.  D'lnvillicrs,  E.  V. — Annual  Report,  Second  Geological  Survey 
of  Pennsylvania,  188G,  part  iv.  Paint,  Iron  Ore,  Limestone  and  Ser- 
pentine, pp.  15r.'M5l'-7.  Brief  description  of  the  brownstone  quarries 
in  thei  vicinity  oft  Hummelstown. 

£.  Frazer,  Persifor. —  Report  of  a  Geological  Survey  of  Chester- 
County,  Pennsylvania,  Geological  Survey,  C3OOO,  1880,  pp.  1 78-214.— 
The  stratigraphies  and  paleontologic  relations  of  the  Mesozoic  red 
sandstones  in  Chester  County. 

3.  Frazer,  Per  si  for,  Jr. —  The  Geology  of  Lancaster  County.  Sec- 
ond Ge;  logical  Survey  of  Pennsylvania,  1ST".  CCC,  mentions  the  oc 
currem-e  of  1he  ?sew  Red  sandstone  in  Lancaster  Countv. 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE    COLL.KUK. 

4.  Lyman,  Benj.  Smith. — lie-port  on  the  New  lied  of  Bucks  and 
Montgomery  Counties,  in  Summary  Final  Report  Geology  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Vol.  Ill,  Part  2,  pp.  2589-2638,  1895.    Gives  geological  and 
topographical  map  of  the  New  Red  of  Bucks  and  Montgomery  Coun- 
ties, with  a  detailed  account  of  the  stratigraphy,  paleontology  and 
general  scientific  features,  and  brief  mention  of  the  economic  fea- 

C5  / 

tares. 

5.  Merrill,   G.  P.— Stones  for  Building  and  Decoration,  Wiley  & 
Sons,  N.  Y.,  1891,  pp.  279-281.  Also  in  Smithsonian  Report,  Part 
2,  1886. 

Shaler,  N.  S. — Description  of  Quarries  and  Quarry  Regions,  10th 
Census,  Volume  X,  pp.  156-157.  One  of  the  best  short  descriptions 
of  the  brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 

Definition.  — It  might  at  first  glance  seem  superfluous  to  offer  a 
definition  to  such  a  simple  term  as  brownstone,  but  the  very  fact 
that  it  is  used  with  different  meanings  in  the  market  is  reason  why 
it  is  advisable  to  state  the  significance  of  the  word  as  used  in  this 
report. 

If  all  the  brownstones  occurred  in  one  locality  and  were  all  one 
shade  of  color,  the  term  would  be  self-explanatory,  but  stone  vary- 
ing from  gray,  through  all  shades  of  yellow,  red  and  brown,  to  black 
occurs  in  a  dozen  or  more  states,  and  in  several  different  geologic 
horizons.  The  term  browristone  in  some  localities  is  a  synonym 
for  the  stone  from  Portland,  Connecticut,  because  that  is  used  in 
such  large  quantities,  and  no  other  is  used  at  that  point.  With 
some  persons  brownstone  signifies  any  rock  from  the  Mesozoic  or 
New  Red  formation,  whether  it  be  really  brown  or  not.  In  this  re- 
port the  term  is  used  for  any  stone  that  has  a  brown  or  red  color, 
irrespective  of  locality  or  the  geological  formation  in  which  it 
occurs.  It  also  includes  a  light  stone,  which  is  not  strictly  brown 
except  in  places,  but  which  occurs  in  the  New  Red  formation,  be- 
cause it  is  so  closely  associated  vvith  brownstone,  often  in  the  same 
quarry,  and  because  it  commonly  passes  in  the  market  as  brown- 
stone.  Much  of  the  Trenton  brownstone  in  the  market  is  not  really 
brown,  but  gray,  yet  brownstone  may  come  from  an  adjoining,  often 
from  the  same,  quarry.  There  is  also  included  red  or  brown  stone 
from  the  Paleozoic  rocks,  which  may  not  be  generally  known  in  the 
market  under  the  name  brownstone,  but  which  is  as  truly  brown 
in  color  as  many  of  the  Mesozodc  brownstones.  Hence  the  term  is 
here  used  to  designate  a  sandstone  with  a  brown  or  red  color  rather 
than  a  brownstone  from  any  particular  locality  or  formation.  The 
red  or  brown  marbles  are  not  included. 

Colors. — Brown  is  defined  as  a  dark  color  shading  towards  red, 
yellow  or  black,  and  may  be  produced  by  a  mixture  of  these  colors.* 


*St8rdard  Diet  ion -r  v 

1  A* 


10  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

We  can  thus  see  that  there  may  be  an  almost  infinite  number  of 
shades  of  brown,  grading  insensibly  into  red,  yellow  or  black,  and 
that  there  may  be  wide  divergence  of  opinion  as  to  where  the 
division  should  be  made.  In  the  sandstones  the  change  is  most  fre- 
quently towards  the  red,  less  commonly  to  the  yellow.  So  close 
is  the  relation  that  the  same  stone  is  called  by  some  dealers  red 
and  by  others  brown. 

The  color  is  almost  wholly  due  to  the  oxides  of  iron,  the  yellow 
and  yellow-brown  to  the  hydrous  oxide  and  the  red  and  red-brown  to 
the  anhydrous  form.  The  shade  of  color  depends  partly  on  the  hydra 
tion  of  the  iron,  partly  on  the  fineness  of  the  particles  and  the  man 
ner  of  their  distribution.  A  small  percentage  of  manganese  affects 
the  color  in  some  localities,  the  tendency  of  the  manganese  oxides 
being  to  give  a  purplish!  tint. 

From  the  standpoint  of  color,  brownstone  is  one  of  the  best  of 
building  stones,  not  only  [because  of  the  wide  range  of  shades  to 
seletet  from,  but  from  the  inherent  beauty  and  richness  of  many  of 
the  shades,  and  what  is  of  great  importance  in  architecture,  the  per- 
manency of  the  color.  There  is  probably  not  another  color  common 
among  building;  'stones  that  is  as  permanent  and  as  little  liable  to 
tarnish  as  brown.1  In  some  brownstone  buildings  that  have  beein 
standing  nearly  100  years  the  stone  is  as  bright  as  when  it  first  came 
from  the  quarry. 

Where  brownstone  is  used  to  excess,  particularly  dark  shades, 
and  along  narrow  streets,  it  is  gloomy  and  sombre.  It  is  used  i<> 
best  advantage  in  combination  with  other  colored  building  stones, 
or  at  least  with  a  more  general  use  of  lighter  brownstones.  The 
darker  colored  stones,  while  more  sombre  than  the  lighter  shades, 
show  the  dirt  and  stains  of  the  city  atmosphere  less  and  are  in 
this  respect  better  adapted  to  base-coturses  and  trimmings.  The 
inherent  beauty  and  permanency  in  the  color,  together  with  its 
desirability  in  combination  with  stones  of  other  colors  for  archi- 
tectural effect,  will  always  cause  a  demand  for  brownstone  by  tin- 
best  architects.  I 

The  brownstones  of  Pennsylvania  have  as  wide  a  range  in  color 
as  those  of  any  othler  state.  There  is' the  rich  purple-brown  and  red- 
brown  at  Hummelstown,  the  dark  brown  at  Mohnsville,  the  light, 
warm,  red-brown  at  Cornwall,  the  light  purplish  brown  at  Newtown 
and  Yardley,  the  very  light  browrn  to  gray  at  Lumberville,  Grenoble 
and  Fort  Washington,  the  light  pink  south  of  Birdsboro,  and  the 
light  red  and  dark  red  at  White  Haven  and  Laurel  Run. 

The  cliemical  composition  of  brownstones. — The  accompanying 
table  of  analyses  giving  the  chemical  composition  of  all  the  well-known 
brownstones  in  this  country  so  far  as  they  could  be  obtained.  The 
first  table  gives  those  of  Pennsylvania,  the  second  those  from  other 
states  for  comparison.  It  may  be  noticed  in  comparing  these  thai 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE.  11 

the  Hummelstown  stone  corresponds  more  nearly  with  that  of  East 
Longmeadow,  Massachusetts,  than  any  other.  The  one  analysis'  of 
the  Hummelstown  stone  (No.  9)  corresponds  ve;ry  closely}  with  one 
from  East  Longmieiadow  (No.  14),  the  Worcester  quarry  "brown- 
stone,"  but  the  other  •Massachusetts  specimen  (No.  15),  from  the  .-May- 
nard  quarry  "red  stone,"  is  muck  lower  in  silica,  higher  in  alumina 
and  lime  and  much  higher  in  alkali,  indicating  more  feldspar,  and 
possibly  mica.  , 

The  stones  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  more  nearly  resemble 
the  New  England  brownstones  than  those  farther  west  in  the  State, 
but  even  they  have  a  high  percentage  of  silica,  a  lower  percentage 
of  alumina  and  a,  much  louver  percentage  of  alkali  than  the  Niefw 
England  brownstones. 

The  signification  of  the  varying  proportions  of  the  different  sub 
stances  is  not  always  perfectly  clear,  but  a  number  of  very  useful 
(Inductions  can  be  made  as  follows:  of  all  the  substances  mentioned 
silica  is  the  most  durable,  especially  if  it  occurs  in  the  form  of 
quartz.  It  is  desirable  to  have  the  percentage  of  silica  as  high  as 
is  consistent  with  the  desired  hardness  and  workability  of  the  stone. 
That  is,  from  the  standpoint  of  durability  alone  quartz  is  the  most 
desirable  substance,  but  if  the  silica  is  all  in  quarts  grains  and  the 
percentage  too  high  the  stone  will  be  friable,  from  not  having  suffi- 
cient cement  to  hold  the  grains  together;  on  the  other  hand,  if  part 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL   REPORT 


Off.   Doc. 


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PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE 


14  AFP&NDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

of  the  silica  is  in  the  form  of  cement  binding  the  grains  together, 
the  stone  is  liable  to  be  too  hard  to  work.  Hence,  no  definite  limit 
can  be  placed  on  the  amount  of  silica  allowable  in  a  good  stone, 
as  that  depends  on  whether  a  hard  stone  or  easy-working  stone  is 
desired,  and  also  on  how  much  of  the  silica  is  in  feldspar,  mica  or 
clay, — the  proportions  of  alkali,  lime  and  alumina  throw  much  light 
on  this  point.  It  also  depends  on  the  size  and  shape  of  the  grains; 
thus  round  grains  require  more  and  stronger  cement  than  sharply 
angular  grains  to  produce  a  stone  equal  in  strength;  irregular  angu- 
lar grains  when  closely  compact  will  make  a  very  strong  stone  with 
very  little  cement,  because  of  the  interlocking  of  the  grains  among 
themselves. 

A  high  percentage  of  alumina  is  not  desirable;  if  in  the  form  of 
feldspar  or  mica  it  is  a  source  of  decay;  if  in  the  form  of  clay  it 
will  absorb  water  and  injure  the  stone  by  freezing.  The  last  injury 
is  intensified  if  the  clay  is  segregated  in  patches  or  layers.  On 
the  other  hand,  a  certain  percentage  of  clay  is  desirable  to  make  an 
easy-working  stone.  If  the  cement  is  entirely  or  largely  quartz  or 
calcite  the  stone  will  be  too  hard  to  work  freely.  No  arbitrary  stand 
ard  can  be  given  for  the  maximum  percentage  of  alumina  allowable, 
as  that  depends  on  the  form  in  which  it  occurs,  the  manner  of  its 
distribution,  the  shape  of  the  grains  and  the  desired  use  of  the 
stone. 

The  iron  oxide  is  desirable  within  reasonable  limits,  providing  it 
occurs  in  the  peroxide  form,  as  it  gives  the  color  to  the  stone  and 
forms  a  strong  and  durable  cement.  It  generally  occurs  associated 
with  more  or  less  clay.  If  the  iron  occurs  in  the  form  of  pyrite  or 
carbonate  it  is  liable  to  be  a  source  of  disintegration.  It  is  cus- 
tomary in  making  the  analysis  to  determine  the  iron  as  peroxide 
without  proving  it  to  be  such.  Hence  the  small  percentage  of  prot- 
oxide given  with  the  Hummelstown  stone  does  not  signify  that  it 
does  not  occur  in  any  of  the  others,  but  simply  that  it  was  not  de- 
termined in  any  of  the  others,  and  that  it  does  not  occur  in  sufficient 
quantities  in  the  Hummelstown  stone  to  be  any  serious  injury  to  the 
stone,  as  might  be  suggested  by  its  blue  color. 

The  lime  is  not  a  desirable  element.  It  is  probably  less  injurious 
in -the  form  of  feldspar  (the  form  in  which  much  of  it  occurs  in 
the  analyses  given)  than  in  the  form  of  calcite,  as  in  the  latter  case  it 
hardens  the  stone ;  where  it  does  not  form  all  the  cement  it  hardens 
it  unequally,  and  is,  furthermore,  more  soluble  than  the  other  sub- 
stances, and  is  in  that  way  a  source  of  weakness.  In  the  first  in- 
stance the  only  injury  is  in  the  presence  of  the  feldspar,  which  is 
liable  to  decay. 

The  alkalies  are  not  desirable  substances  on  account  of  their  solu- 
bility. In  the  fresh  feldspar  they  are  insoluble,  but  in  most  of  the 
sandstone  the  feldspars  are  more  or  less  decayed,  and  as  they  decay 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  OOdjLEiGE.  15 

the  alkalies  go  in  solution  and  frequently  act  on  the  other  sub- 
stances. The  white  efflorescence  sometimes  seen  on  the  face  of  the 
sandstone  outcrops  is  "due  (in  many  cases,  at  least)  to  the  alkali 
salts  from  the  decaying  feldspars. 

Mineralogical  composition  of  brownstone. — The  mineralogical 
composition  is  frequently  as  valuable  an  indication  of  the  quality 
of  the  stone  as  the  chemical  composition,  and  sometimes  more  so, 
especially  when  combined  with  a  microscopic  examination,  which 
shows  not  only  the  minerals  present,  but  the  relative  quantity  and 
the  condition  in  which  they  occur.  The  bulk  of  all  sandstones  is 
made  up;  of  quartz  grains,  which  generally  foirm  from  70  to  95  per 
cent  of  the  irock.  In  the  quartzites  the  grains  are)  cemented  by 
quartz  deposited  in  the  interstices,  thus  giving  a  high  percentage  of 
silica.  However,  a  high  percentage  of  silica  does  not  always  signify 
a  quartzite,  as  may  b)e  seen  ojn  comparing  ai  few  analyses:  in  [the}  fore- 
going tables.  Thus,  the  Mt.  Gretna  and  the  Ho-ckersville  stone  each 
show  a  percentage  of  more  than  91  per  cent  silica,  while  the  White 
Haven  stone  has  less  than  1)1  per  cent,  yet  the  first  two,  especially 
the  Mt.  Ciretna  stone,  are  friable  sandstones,  and  the  last  a  hard 
quartzite.  Likewise  the  Wilburtha  stone,  which  has  93  per  cent, 
silica,  is  a  soft  stone,  and  the  Mansfield,  Indiana,  stone,  with  more 
than  92  per  cent,  silica  is  a  friable  sandstone,  and  the  Lumberville 
stone,  which  is  a  hard  quartzite,  has  less  than  80  per  cent,  silica. 
The  advantage  of  the  microscopic  examination  over  the  chemical 
or  rather  in  combination  with  the  chemical,  is  that  it  shows  the 
form  in  which  these  elements  occur.  Thus,  the  Lumberville  stone 
has  the  grains  of  quartz  and  feldspar  firmly  bound  in  a  quartz 
.•ement,  which  would  not  be  shown  by  the  analysis. 

The  next  most  abundant  substance  after  quartz  found  in  the 
grains  of  sandstone  is  feldspar.  In  some  localities  orthoclase  and 
microcline,  the  alkali  feldspar,  are  abundant,  while  in  other  places 
plagioclase,  or  basic  fiefldspar,  predominates  As  most  of  thej  feld- 
spars occur  in  sandstone  in  a  more  or  less  decayed  condition,  where 
plagioclase  abounds,  calcite  is  liable  to  be  found  in  the  sandstone, 
and  in  many  places  there  is  an  efflorescence,  formed  on  the  istone 
in  protected  places,  of  sodium  or  potassium  sulphate  from  the  alkali 
of  the  feldspar.  While  this  efflorescence  was  observed  in  many 
places  it  was  only  analyzed  from  one  locality  (Port  Kennedy),  and 
there  it  proved  to  be  mirabalite,  or  glauber  salt  (sodium  sulphate). 
Tfhe  resulting  products  of  decaying  feldspar  are  numerous,  depend- 
ing on  the  conditions  under  which  it  decomposes.  The  most  common 
products  are  clay,  quartz  and  muscovite  (mica).  In  none  of  the 
brownstones  examined  was  muscovite  observed  in  large  flakes  where 
it  appeared  to  be  a  secondary  product,  but  aggregates  of  clay  with 
much  finely  granular  quartz  and  minute  portions  of  some  highly 
polarizing  mineral  that  is  probably  muscovite,  are  plentiful,  some- 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL   REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

times  ill  a  rim  of  feldspar,  sometimes  with  included  fragments 
of  partially  decayed  feldspar;  in  fact,  nearly  all  stages  from  fresh 
looking  feldspar  to  clay  in  which  the  outlines  of  the  feldspar  have 
been  lost. 

Mica  which  is  quite  abundant  in  the  New  England  brownstone  is 
very  scarce  in  the  Pennsylvania  brownstones,  occurring  only  in  a 
few  widely  scattered  fragments.  It  readily  decomposes,  and  is  an 
element  of  weakness,  not  alone  from  its  disintegration,  but  likewise 
from  the  tendency  of  the  flakes  to  all  lie  the  same  way  and  make 
planes  of  easy  cleavage,  along  which  the  stone  flakes  and  scales  on 
exposure.  Tnte  scaling  is  much  worse  where  the  mica  is  much  de- 
cayed. It  is  cue  of  the  most  injurious  minerals  that  occur  in  sand- 
stones. 

Iron  oxide  in  the  form  of  hematite  and  limonite  occurs  diffused 
through;  the  clay  cdnent,  and  surrounding  many  of  the  grains  of 
sand.  It  occurs  in  such  a  finely  divided  state  that  it  is  impossible 
in  some  cases  to  determine  what  mineral  form  it  takes.  Most  of  it 
is  presumably  red  hematite  judging  from  the  color  of  the  rock,  and 
in  some  place  small  hematite  crystals  are  distinguishable. 

Calcite  occurs  in  small  quantities  in  the  interstices  between  the 
grains  in  some  localities,  but  in  general  the  percentage  is  very  small. 
It  is  most  abundant  in  the  hard  stone  from  White  Haven  and  Laurel 
Run. 

Other  minerals  occur  in  small  quantities,  but  n»ot  in  sufficient 
abundance  to  affect  the  durability  or  character  |of  the  stone  to  any 
extent.  Small  cr3rstals  of  apatite,  zirkon  and  rutile  occur  in  the 
quartz  grains,  and  small  fragments  of  magnetite,  augite,  and  horn- 
blende were  observed.  There  are  likely  to  be  present  small  frag- 
ments of  any  minerals  that  occur  in  the  rocks  from  which  the  debris 
was  obtained.  The  contents  of  the  different  varieties  are  given 
under  the  headings  where  they  are  described. 

Structural  features  of  brownstone. — Brownstones  vary  in  struc- 
ture from  fissile  shales  on  one  side  to  massive  seamless  beds  on 
the  other.  The  thin-bedded  stone  'that!  occurs  .in', jrtetgularj  layers  less 
than  five  or  six  inches  thick,  if  sufficiently  hard,  is  used  for  flag- 
stone; in  irregular  layers  it  has  no  value  except  for  broken  stone 
or  for  cellar  walls.  In  many  instances  quarries  that  furnish  flag- 
stone at  the  outcrop  furnish  heavy  dimension  stone  in  the  interior, 
the  numerous  bedding  planes  being  opened  by  the  weathering  in- 
fluence. This  is  particularly  true  in  the  White  Haven  and  the 
Laurel  Run  red  stone  quarries. 

As  in  other  sandstones,  false  bedding  or  cross-grain  is  common  in 
the  brownstones.  Sometimes  the  flagstone  layers  are  formed  by  the 
false-bedding  planes.  (See  fig.  1  and  plate  26.)  The  false  bedding  is 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA    STATE   COLLEGE.  17 


Fig.  1.  Section  on  the/ace  of  one  of  the  Laurel  Run  quarries,  showing  false  bed- 
ding or  cross-grain.  A— Glacial  material.  B— Heavy  bed  red  sandstone.  C— Sand- 
stone with  small  cavities.  D — Cross-bedded  red  sandstone. 

in  nearly  all  cases  an  injury  to  the  rock  causing  a  great  deal  oT 
waste,  and  making  the  stone  difficult  to  quarry  and  dress  properly. 
False-bedded  stone  is  nearly  always  banded  and  varied  in  texture, 
having  alternating  streaks  and  patches  of  line  and  coarse  grained 
stone. 

If  the  stone  is  soft  enough  to  be  easily  channeled,  a  massive  form 
entirely  free  from  seams,  either  bedding  seams  or  wall  seams,  is 
the  most  desirable.  If  the  stone  is  so  hard  as  to  be  channeled 
with  difficulty,  a  certain  number  of  bedding  planes  or  seams  is 
desirable  for  the  economic  production  of  the  stone.  The  lack  of 
sufficient  bedding  seams  is  often  balanced  by  the  number  of  joint 
or  wall  seams,  which  are  liable  to  be  very  abundant  if  the  rock  is 
hard  and  has  been  subjected  to  much  folding  or  pressing.  The  joint 
seams  are  important  features  in  the  Lumberville  quarries.  (See 
plates  22  and  23.)  In  some  places  the  joint  seams  become  so  abund- 
ant as  to  cause  much  waste  in  tine  rock,  and  in  some  instances  cut  it 
up  into  such  small  dimensions  .as  to  ruin  it  entirely  for  building 
stone.  The  bedding  planes  are  frequently  irregular,  not  even  or 
parallel  with  each  other,  thus  causing  much  waste  wnen  squaring 
the  blocks;  where  these  irregular  seams  -come  close  together  fine  di- 
mension ,stone  cannot  be  obtained,  and  the  stone  can  only  be  used 
for  rough  work. 

Textured  and  microscopic  features  of  brownstones. — Like  all 
other  sandstones,  the  brownstones  vary  in  texture,  grading  from 
the  shales  and  slates  oni  the'  onei  sidel  to  the  coarse  conglomerate 
or  pudding  stone  on  the' other,  thus  forming  an  intermediate  class 
between  these  two.  The  coarse-grained  varieties  look  well  in  heavy 
masonry  in  rock  face  work,  and  are  better  adapted  to  that  line  of 
work,  the  finer  grained  being  better  adapted  to  fine  carving  or  tool 
dressed  surface,  but  adapted  to  rock  face  work  as  well.  The  most 
desirable  texture  from  a  commercial  standpoint  is  one  that  is  homo- 
geneous throughout  and  not  very  coarse,  but  a  uniformly^  coarse- 
grained stone  is  better  than  one  having  a  mixture  of  fine  and  coarse 
grain.  As  a  rule  the  coarse-grained  rocks  are  more  porous  and 
absorb  water  more  freely,  and  hence  are  more  liable  to  injury  from 

2  A«22~0fl 


18  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

frost.  On  the  other  hand,  they  are  less  liable  to  be  laminated  or 
reedy,  less  liable  to  kave  clay  seams,  and  will  generally  work  more 
freely  in  all  directions  and  are  also  less  liable  to  be  cut  up  by  nu- 
merous seams,  both  vertical  and  horizontal,  than  the  fine-grained 
ones.  The  fine-grained  stones  are  generally  stronger,  but  less  elas 
tic,  not  so  apt  to  disintegrate,  but  more  apt  to  crack  or  shell. 
Thiey  are  equally  well  adapted  to  rock-faced,  tool-dressed,  or \  fine* 
carved  work. 

The  coarse  conglomerate  is  abundant  in  several  places  over  the 
brownstone  area,  but  so  far  as  observed  by  the  writer,  none  of  it  in 
which  the  pebbles  are  the  size  of  hickory  nuts  or  larger  has  any  value 
for  building  stone,  as  the  cement  is  not  strong  enough  to  hold  the 
hard  pebbles  in  place.  A  conglomerate  from  this  formation  is  quar- 
ried at  the  Point  of  Rocks,  Maryland,  in  which  the  large  pebbles  are 
limestone,  and  it  is  known  in  the  market  as  Potomac  or  calico 
marble.  A  stone  somewhat  similar  in  character  to  the  Potomac 
marble  is  said  to  have  been  quarried  at  one  time  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pa.,  but  the  pebbles  would  drop  out  of  the  mass,  and  its 
use  was  abandoned.  The  upper  part  of  plate  18  shows  a  view  of  our 
ot  the  coarsest  conglomerates  in  the  State. 

The  microscope  reveals  several  features  in  regard  to  fhe  texture 
and  composition  of  the  rocks  that  are  not  brought  out  in  any  otJUu- 
way.  It  reveals  both  the  mineral  constituents  and  their  .condition  of 
preservation,  the  proportions,  kind  and  character  of  the  cement. 
Some  of  these  features  are  illustrated  on  the  accompanying  draw- 
ings* of  typical  sections  of  several  varieties  of  rocks  (Plate 
1).  Numbers  1  and  2  it  will  be  noticed  resemble  ea^li 
other  somewhat  and  are  strikingly  different  from  the  others. 
They  each  represent  a  very  hard  quartzitic  sandstone!  with  consider- 
able feldspar  among  the  grains,  particularly  No.  1,  and  having  very 
little  clay  cement,  nearly  all  the  cement  being  crystalline  quartz 
deposited  in  the  interstices  locking  the  grains  into  a  very  firm  mass. 
The  grains  are  all  white,  gray  or  colorless.  No.  2  however  in  the 
rock  mass  is  red  or  red-brown,  which  is  produced  by  an  exceedingly 
thin  pellicle  of  red  iron  oxide  partially  surrounding  many  of  the 
grains  and  small  segregations  in  some  of  the  more  decayed  feld- 
spar and  clay  particles  not  shown  on  the  drawing.  It  must  be  kept 
in  mind  that  each  of  the  drawings  represents  an  area  of  the  rock  not 
much  larger  that  the  head  of  a  pin,  that  is  one  forty-fourth  of  the 
diameter  of  the  figure.  No.  3  is  an  enlarged  view  of  a  more  fine- 
grained portion  of  No.  2,  which  is  entirely  quartz,  the  secondary 
quartz  binding  the  original  grains  in  a  mass.  Nos.  4  and  5  are  fairly 
representative  samples  of  the  Hummelstown  stone  (See  also  plate  10) 
composed  of,  angular  and  isubangular  quartz  in  a  cement!  of  clay  and 

*Drawn  with  camera  lucida   enlarged  88  diameters  and  reduced  one  half, 


No    22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE. 

Brownatones  of  Pennsylvania. 


1!* 


Plate  1. 


Microscopic  sections  of  different  brownstones  enlarged  44  diameters  : 
No.  i— Lumberville  feldspathic  sandstone— feldspar  and  quartz  and  quartz  cement. 
2— white  Haven  red  stone,  some  feldspar,  mostly  quartz  and  quartz  cement. 
3— An  enlarged  granule  from  No.  2  showing  its  quartzitic  character  in  spots. 
4  and  5— Typical  sections  of  the  Hummelstown  brownstone. 
6— Enlarged  view  of  single  grain  of  the  Hummelstown  stone  showing  secondary 

quartzose  character. 
7  and  8— Sections  of  a  well  known  New  England  sandstone  showing  its  micaeous 

character. 

V  signifies  feldspar ;  cross-lined  areas  aggregates  of  clay,  fine  quarU,  and  Iron  oxide  ;  Very 
d«rk  shftditji?  iron  oxide :  colorless  areas  auarts 


20  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doe. 

iron  oxide.  No.  5  is  an  area  above  the  average  in  the  relative  pro- 
portion of  quartz  to  the  mass.  No.  4  shows  about  the  average  per- 
centage ,of  quartz  but  the  grains  are  more  angular  than  the  average; 
in  some  of  the  grains  parts  of  the  crystal  faces  may  be  seen.  The 
freestone  character  of  the  ro-ck  is  brought  out  fairly  well,  showing  its 
adaptability  to.  carving.  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  no  parallel- 
ism about  the  grains  and  a  line  of  fracture  would  run  equally  well  in 
any  direction.  No.  6  is  an  enlarged  view  of  a  single  grain  from  an- 
other portion  of  No.  5  showing  its  quartzitic  character  or  origin. 
The  original  grain  is  shown  near  the  middle  of  the  figure,  surrounded 
by  the  quartz  subsequently  deposited.  All  this  took  place  before  it 
became  part  of  the  Hunimelstown  stone,  and  the  inner  grain  nan 
been  part  of  no-  less  than  three  rock®  of  different  ages,  and  the  entire 
grain  has  formed  part  of  at  least  two. 

Nos.  7  and  8  are  of  a  well  known  New  England  brownstone  and 
given  by  way  of  contrast;  No.  7  isi  a  little  afooive  the  average  in  the 
percentage  of  mica  in  the  sample,  and  No.  8  a  little  above  the 
average  in  the  proportion  of  cement.  Here  one  may  read  one  of  the 
causes  of  the  scaling  fronts  of  our  eastern  cities.  Mica  flakes  or 
scales  easily  enough  when  fresh,  but  much  more  so  when  partially 
disintegrated  and  the  fact  that  so  many  flakes  lie  in  parallel  direc- 
tions is  a  great  source  of  failure  in  the  rock.  Very  little  mica  was 
observed  in  any  of  the  Pennsylvania  quarries. 

The  microscopic  features  of  the  different  varieties  are  given  else- 
where in  this  report  with  the  description  of  the  stone  to  which  they 
refer. 

Varitties  of  Pennsylvania  Brownstones: — There  is  probably  a 
greater  variety  of  brownstone  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  than  in 
any  other  state  in  the  Union.  Only  the  general  properties  of  the  more 
common  types  are  mentioned  here  and  the  different  varieties  are 
described  more  in  detail  in  subsequent  chapters. 

In  the  New  Eed  formation  there  are  many  varieties,  the  best 
known  being  the  red-brown  and  the  purple-brown  Hummelstown 
stone,  a  fine  grained  stone,  homogeneous  in  color  and  texture.  The 
red-brown  is  a  brighter  color  than  the  more  eastern  stone  and  the 
purple  a  richer  color,  both  varieties  being  possibly  a  little  harder 
than  the  eastern  stone.  They  larej  said  to  work  easily  and*  aire  quite 
durable,  standing  the  northern  climate  remarkably  well  and  stand- 
ing abrasion  in  steps/  or  walks  better  than  \the  average  broiwnstone. 
It  contains  proportionately  more  quartz  and  less  feldspar  and  mica 
than  much  of  the  eastern  stone;  in  fact  it  is  almost  free  from  mica, 
the  most  injurious  of  the  minerals. 

The  Cornwall,  Mt.  Gretna,  and  Schaefferstown  stone  is  in  general 
coarse-grained,  contains  many  pebbles,  has  a  liprht,  warm,  rich  red 


Xo.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE.  -1 

color  varying  from  the  liglit  to  a  deep  red  in  different  localities.  It 
lias  been  obtained  in  limited  quantities  free  from  pebbles  and  makes 
a  very  handsome  stone. 

The  Mohnsville  stone  is  dark-colored,  as  dark  as  the  eastern 
brownstone  and  contains  many  pebbles.  It  is  associated  with  large 
beds  of  conglomerate.  There  are  three  varieties  at  Birdsbc-ro  and 
vicinity:  a  red  shale,  red-brown  peibbly  stone,  and  a  light  pink  stone. 

The  Valley  Forge,  Port  Kennedy  sto-ne  is  dark  colored,  coarse 
grained,  and  pebbly.  At  Norristown  there  is  both  gray  and  light 
brown  stone  irregularly  bedded,  mostly  in  small  irregular  pieces. 
The  Fort  Washington,  Grenoble  stone  is  light  brown  to  gray  and 
soft  like  the  Norristown  stone,  containing  many  irregular  seams,  a 
nice  building  stone  but  not  obtainable  in  large  dimensions.  The 
Frog  Hollow  stone  is  dark  colored  and  hard,  a  strong  durable  stone 
regularly  bedded.  Newtown  and  Yardley  stones  are  light  brown 
colored  with  a  faint  purple  tint  and  soft,  occurring  in  regular  beds 
with  seams  regular*  and  even,  furlnishing  dimension  stone  of  good 
quality  and  pleasing  color.  The  Lumberville  stone  is  very  hard, 
mostly  light  gray,  but  mixed  gray  and  brown.  The  red  stone  of  the 
Mauch  Chunk  formation  at  White  Haven.  Laurel  Run,  and  Mocan- 
aqua  is  very  hard  and  generally  uniform  in  color  and  texture.  It, 
like  the  Lumberville  stone,  is  intermediate  in  character  between 
sandstone  and  quartzite.  The  "Brown  granite"  from  Bockwood, 
Somerset  county,  resembles  the  Wliite  Haven  stone.  There  is  like- 
wise a  brownstone  quarried  at  Ellwood  City  of  which  we  have  no 
data.  There  are  both  red  and  brown  sandstones  in  the  Medina, 
Clinton,  and  Catskill  formations  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  that 
so  far  as  known  have  not  been  used  for  building  and  lack  of  time  pro- 
vented  a  personal  examination  of  the  areas. 

Durability  of  Pennsylvania  Brown  stones.  —  Much  criticism  has 
been  raised  in  regard  to  the  durability  of  the  brownstones 
particularly  in  the  cities.  In  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
abundant  evidence  of  its  decay  may  be  found  in  manyNpf  the- 
brownstone  fronts,  conspicuously  so  in  the  ground  courses  and  in 
small  railings  and  columns  of  the  steps  and  porches,  yet  In  many 
places  the  plain  surface  of  the  walls  is  crumbling  and  scaling  in  a 
lamentable  manner  particularly  along  the  base-courses.  It  is|  said 
to  be  customary  with  some  residents  in  New  York  to  have  the  faces 
of  their  brownstone  fronts  rubbed  with  stiff  wire  brushes  every  four 
years,  to  remove  the  disintegrated  material  and  keep  the  wall  clean, 
and  sometimes  where  the  stone  is  much  decayed  the  stone-cutter  cuts 
fiway  the  loose  material,  thus  giving  the  stone  a  fresh  appearance 
without  removing  it  from  the  wall,  and  in  some  instances  it  hasboejni 
found  necessary  to  replace  the  stone  by  a  new  one.  I  am  informed 
that  the  replacing  of  disintegrating  stones  in  the  wall  by  new  ones 


22  .    APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

is  a  much  more  common  practice  in  England  than  in  this  country, 
as  the  rocks  seem  to  crumble  more  rapidly  in  that  country. 

The  brownstone  quarrymen  claim  that  this  disintegration  of  the 
rock  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  stone  has  been  wrongly  laid  in  the 
wall,  the  claim  being  tlh'at  the  disintegrating  stones  are  set  on  the 
edge  and  that  if  they  had  been  laid  on  their  natural  bed  they 
would  have  remained  firm.  This,  however,  is  only  one  of  a  number 
of  causes  for  the  crumbling  of  the  stone.  While  it  may  be  and  very 
probably  is  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  many  cases  there 
are  other  causes  not  to  be  ignored.  They  may  all  be  enumerated 
as  follows: 

Causes  of  decay  in  the  brownstones  in  the  cities. 

1.  Setting  the  stone  on  edge.     It  should  always  lie  placed  on   its 
natural  bed. 

2.  Quarrying  in  freezing  wearher  or  so  late  in  the  season  that  it 
could  no't  be  thoroughly  dried  (seasoned)  before  freezing. 

3.  Subjecting  the  stone  to  heavy  blasting  or  to  tlie  blows  of  a  in-avy 
hammer  in  quarrying  and  dressing. 

4.  Carelessness  in  selecting  the  stonle. 

Where  these  precautions  have  been,  observed  in  select  ini:,  work- 
ing and  using  the  istone  (sometimes  it  is  true  accidentally,  sometimes 
by  intent,)  it  has  been  found  to  stand  the  test  of  time  with  a  high 
dojgree  of  satisfaction.  Tombstones  in  the' cemetery  al  Middleto\\n 
and  Portland,  Conn.,  have  been  standing  there  for  two  hundred  years 
or  more  without  a  flaw.  The  same  is  true  of  some  in  the  Trinity 
Church  yard  in  New  York  city,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Hummelstown, 
Pa.,  are  stones  more  than  100  years  old.  The  same  is  apparently 
true  of  the  buildings  since  many  of  them  as  sound  as  when  first 
erected,  a.ppear  to  be  as  old  as  others  near  by  that  aro  very  much 
disfigured.  These  facts  plainly  show  that  the  cause  of  decay  is  not 
necessarily  inherent  in  the  stone  itself  but  due  at  least  in  large 
measure  to  mistakes  in  selecting  and  handling  the  stone.  So  im- 
portant is  this  that  it(may  be  well  to  enlarge  on  sotme  of  the  abuses 
above  mentioned  showing  how  they  affect  the  life  of  the  stone. 

1.  Setting  the  stone  on  edge —  Nearly  if  not  all  sedimentary 
rocks  have  a  grain  and  cleavage,  most  frequently  seams 
of  more  or  less  prominence,  commonly  known  as  the  bed  or  bed 
ding  of  the  rock.  These  were  practically  horizontal  in 
the  material  as  originally  deposited  or  parallel  with  the  sur- 
face of  the1  water  in  which  the  material  is  deposited,  except 
where  the  stone  is  cross-bedded,  but  where  the  mcks  have  been 
crushed,  folded,  or  disturbed,  the  original  horizontal  position  of  the 
bedding  may  be  changied  toi  almost  any  anglei  with  the  horizontal, 
yet  the  occurrence  of  the  seams  or*  the  gfrain  or  "reed"  of  the  u'ock  in, 
most  instances  shows  to  the  quarrymen  the  original  bed  of  the  rocl< 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   OOLrfLBGR. 

The  particles  composing  the  rock  as  they  are  deposited  in  the 
waten  are  mostly  dropped  on  the  flat  otf  long  side,  overlapping 
each  other  in  a  rough  way  and  being  rudely  bo-und  together  in  every 
direction  but  the  vertical  one.  Pressure  from  overlying  material 
tends  to  intensify  this  character.  As  the  rate  of  deposition  is  not 
uniform  for  a  great  length  of  time  there  will  be  changes  in  the  tex- 
ture between  the  different  layers  of  deposit  which  are  frequently 
differently  indurated.  A  period  of  slow  or  no  deposition  permits 
a  hardening  of  the  surface  causing  a  parting  between  the  indurated 
material  below  and  the  sediment  next  deposited.  The  prominence 
of  this  lamination,  commonly  known  as  bedding,  depends  on  the 
character  and  on  the  induration  of  this  material,  sometimes  being 
an  open  bedding  plane  'and  sometimes  incipient,  showing  only  after 
long  exposure  to-  the  weather.  As  the  rate  of  deposition  is  never 
constant  there  is  an  indefinite  number  of  these  planes,  some  s-h owing- 
ill  the  fresh  rock,  some  after  short  exposure  and  some  only  after 
long  years  of  expo-sure  to  the  weather.  There  is  probably  no  strati 
tied  rock  that  is  wholly  freefirom  these  partings,  many  that  appear  to 
be  massive  and  free  from  these  seams  when  fresh  showing  th)a  seams 
often  in  great  numbers  after  exposure  in  the  wall.  These  horizontal 
seams  besides  being  lines  of  weakness  are  water  lines,  the  water 
permeating  in  this  direction  much  more  readily  than  across  these 
planes,  and  when  the  stone  is  put  in  the  wall  on  edge  the  water  col- 
lects along  the  lamination  planes  and  freezes,  the  ice  crystals  act  ing 
as  wedges  to  split  off  the  flakes  of  stone.  If  the  stone  were  laid  on 
its  natural  bed  the  water  wrould  not  so  readily  penetrate  the  rock 
and  if  it  should,  the  pressure  from)  the  overlying  rock  in  the  wall 
wo'iild  prevent  scaling,  and  even  though  flakes  were  loosened  (hey 
would  be  imprisoned  so  that  they  could  not  escape  if  good  mortar 
were  used. 

The  fact  that  the  stone  does  yield  or  split  so  readily  in  this  direc- 
tion is  the  principal  reason  that  so  much  of  it  is  set  o-n  edge  as  it 
can  l>e  faced  so  much  m'Oire  quickly  and  easily,  as  mainy  of 
the  brown-stone  fronts  consist  simply  of  a  thin  veneering  of  brown- 
stone  backed  up  with  brick  or  frame  work.  The  temptation  to  set 
the  stone  on  edge  is  greater  in  this  case  than  where  it  is  used  in 
heavy  ma,soinn\  'Most  o<f  the  stone- cutters  know  full  wiell  the 
greater  strength  and  durability  of  the  stone  on  its  natural  bed  and 
(hey  also  know  how  mucJh  more  readily  and  dlueaply  they  can  split 
off  the  slabs  and  set  fthem  on  edge  in  the  wall  than  they  can  dii'iess 
(he  faces  across  the  edge.  Hence,  it  is  the  tenement  of  cheapness  that; 
causes  this  abuse  of  the  brownistone.  This  evil  is  more  pronounced 
where  the  stone  is  dressed  by  hand.  Where  it  is  cut  and  dressed 
by  machinery  it  is  mo-re  likely  to  be  properly  placed  as  it  can  be 


24  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

sawed  or  planed  about  as  readily  on  the  edge  as  on  the  bed  and  the 
dealer  will  put  the  stone  the  wa}'  his  conscience  tells  him  is  the 
right  way  for  the  future  reputation  of  the  stone.  It  is  customary 
in  some  places,  and  should  be  in  all  places,  to  specify  in  the  contract 
that  the  stone  is  to  be  cut  to  lie  on  its  natural  bed. 

'2. — Every  rock  when  firsi  quarried  contains  a -certain  percentage  of 
water  known  as  the  quarry  water  or  sap  that  when  once  dried  out  is 
not  re  absorbed.  'The  quantity  (of  this  varie®  in  different  nocks,  but 
as  a  general  rule  the  more  porous  the  rock  the  greater  quantity  of 
this  water.  Sandstones  being  the  more  po-rous  of  building  stones 
have  as  a  rule  a  larger  percentage  of  sap  than  any  other  class  of  build- 
ing stones.  If  the  freshly  quarried  rock  is  exposed  to  freezing  tem- 
perature before  drying  the  freezing  of  the  water  will  injure  the  rock, 
sometimes  by  bursting  off  small  scales  or  flakes,  sometimes  even 
bursting  the  rock  into  several  pieces;  frequently  the  injury  is  not 
perceptible  at  once,  as  thr-  m'nutt'  cracks  formed  may  not  show  for 
some  time  but  greatly  weaken  the  stone  so  that  it  will  succumb  to 
subsequent  frosts-  or  strains  more  readily.  Some  sandstone  com- 
panies will  not  guarantee  any  stone  that  is  quarried  after  November 
first,  yet  in  the  great  hurry  to  fill  contracts'  builders  take  the  risk 
and  rush  the  stone  into  the  building  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  ThU 
was  conspicuously  the  case  a  few  years  ago  when  brownstone  was 
the  craze1  and  the  quarries  were  overcrowded  with  orders,  and  there 
is  without  doubt  a  considerable  percentage  of  the  disintegration  of 
the  brownstone  in  our  northern  cities  due  to  this  cause. 

The  stone  is  all  the  better  for  being  quarried  at  least  one  or  two 
seasons  before  it  is  put  in  the  wall  and  should  be  quarried  early  in 
the  season  so  that  it  can  be  thoroughly  dried  before  winter.  It  is 
customary  now  for  many  of  the  larger  dealers,  and  should  be  with 
all  to  keep  sufficient  stock  on  hand  to  fill  winter  orders  without 
quarrying  fresh  stone. 

3. — More  stone  is  injured  by  blasting  and  hammering  than  is 
ordinarily  acknowledged  by  the  quarrymen.  Before  the  days  of  the 
stone  channeler  and  the  Knox  blasting  system  the  injury  was  much 
greater  than  at  present,  and  no  doubt  much  of  that  in  the  old  brown 
stone  buildings  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  was  quarried  with 
the  free  use  of  powder.  Where  a  heavy  charge  of  powder  is  used 
to  loosen  a  large  quantity  of  the  stone  at  one  time  the  heavy  jar 
shatters  the  stone  causing  many  incipient  cracks  which  frequently 
appear  only  after  long  exposure  to  the  weather. 

It  was  formerly  customary  in  the  Portland.  Conn.,  quarries  to  put 
in  very  heavy  blasts,  by  drilling  holes  (>  or  S  ino'hes  in  diameter  and 
putting  in  2  or  3  kegs  of  powder,  which  would  loo-sen,  and  at  the 
same  time  shatter  a  great  deal  of  the  stone.  While  this  process  has 
not  been  followed  for  ten  or  twelve  years  in  those  quarries,  much 


Brownstoues  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  III. 


1.     Pennsylvania  Railroad  bridge  at  Middletowu,  Pa.,  of  Hummelstown  brownstone. 


I  2.     Bridge  at  Edison,  Pa,,  built  in  1800  of  stone  from  the  neighboring  hills. 

?    .  SHOWING    DURABILITY   OF    PENNSYLVANIA    BROWNSTOXES    IX    BRIDGES. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE    (*<>!, ]JO<  J  K.  25 

of  the  stone  now  in  use  was  quarried  in  this  manner.  I  have  heard 
quarrymen  in  t'h'.is  State  speak  bo-astingly  of  the  large  amount  of 
stone  they  knocked  loose  with  one  blast,  apparently  not  realizing  the 
effect  it  would  have  on  the  stone. 

The  Knox  system  of  blasting,  by  using  light  charges  properly  dis- 
tributed is  a  great  improvement  over  the  old  system  and  reduces 
the  injury  do-ne  to  the  stone  but  does  not  do  away  with  it.  A  better 
method  yet  is  to  use  the  channeling  machine  but  as  it  is  a  little 
more  expensive  the  blasting  will  no  doubt  continue.  Another  injury 
done  to  the  rc-ck  is  breaking  it  with  heavy  hammers.  A  workman 
strikes  repeatedly  with  a  heavy  hammer  in  one  place  or  along  a  cer- 
tain line  sometimes  for  five  or  ten  minutes,  finally  breaking  the  rock, 
but  before  doing  spi1  shattering  it  throughout,  loosening  the  grains 
and  cracking  the  cement,  injuring  the  "life"  of  the  stone.  These 
minute  fractures,  like  the  powder  cracks,  are  not  noticed  at  tlv.1 
time,  as  the  fresh  stone  as  it  goes  into  the  wall  seems  perfectly  sound 
but  after  exposure  to  the  weather  for  a  few  years  thiey  begin  to  ap- 
pear and  the  stone  quickty  cracks  and  crumbles  to  an  alarming  ex- 
tent. ILtis  method  of  quarrying  is  all  right  for  broken  stone  for 
macadam  or  lime  burning,  but  it  cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned 
for  quarrying  building  stone. 

4. — There  is  ome  other  precaution  too  frequently  overlooked  and 
that  is  to  throw  out  all  the  bad  and  inferior  stone.  There  is  some 
stone  in  all  quarries,  in  some  quarries  a  great  deal  of  it,  that  is 
intrinsically  bad  containing  streaks  of  shale  or  spots  of  clay  or  iron 
oxide,  or  an  excess  of  mica,  much  of  which  it  is  true  is  rejected  in  the 
best  quarries;  yet  frequently  in  the  small  quarries  and  occasionally 
in  the  large  ones  under  stress  of  rapid  shipment  or  to  fill  on  order 
taken  at  a  low  bid  imperfect  stone  is  put  in  against  the  better 
.Judgment  of  the  quarrymen. 

While  many  of  the  Urownstones  are  not  ideal  building  stones  from 
the  standpoint  of  durability,  if  the  stone  is  properly  dressed  and 
quarried,  quarried  at  the  proper  season  and  carefully  selected  it  will 
give  as  good  satisfaction  as  pubably  almost  any  other  stone  in  the 
market.  It  will  be  found  on  investigation  that  the  scaling  and  the 
disintegration  of  the  stone  is  due  largely  to  one  or  more  of  the 
abuses  above  mentioned,  all  of  which  may  be  avoided  with  proper 
care.  What  has  been  said  lias  special  reference  to  the  more  eastern 
brownstones  as  they  have  been  longer  in  use  and  more  extensively 
used,  hence  are  better  known  and  more  criticised,  but  it  is  applicable 
to  all  others  as  well. 

Dr.  Julien  gives  as  the  result  of  his  extended  observations  on  the 
building  stones  in  New  York  City  and  suburbs  the  following  as  the 
life  of  brownstones:  Coarse  brown stono,  5-15  years.  Laminated  fine 
brownstone,  20-50  years.  Compact  fine  brownstone,  100-200  years. 


26  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  off.   Doc. 

In  another  place  he  says  in  regard  to-  brownstone  that  it  seems  to 
be  a  common,  if  not  universal  opinion  (in  his  own  opinion  too  hasty), 
that  the  days  of  the  brownstone  fronts  for  the  better  class  of 
houses  are  probably  numbered.  It  is  the  widely  quoted  opinion  of 
one  architect  that  it  is  of  no  more  use  fo-r  architectural  work  than  so 
much  ginger-bread;  that  the  majority  of  the  brownstone  fronts  will 
in  60  or  80  years  be  in  ruins  andi  the  remainder  mucth  dilapidated. 

That  this  was  not  and  is  not  the  universal  opinion  is  shown  by  the 
continued  use  of  brownstone.  And  it  must  still  be  borne  in  mind 
that  there  are  good,  bad  and  indiiferent  brownstones  used  with  vary- 
ing degrees  of  intelligence  and  lack  of  intelligence. 

The  qualities  affecting  the  durability  of  the  different  brownstones 
of  the  State  are  discussed  under  the  different  varieties,  as  they  vary 
widely  in  composition  and  texture,  hence  in  the  elements  of  dura- 
bility. 

PHYSICAL  T^>TS. 

Sptcific  gravity. — l*y  t'he  specific  gravity  of  the  stone  we  mean  iis 
relative  weight  compared  with  water.  Since  all  are  comparable  with 
water  they  are  ciomparable  with  each  other.  The  results  in  as  far  as 
they  are  accurate  and  intelligible  show  both  the  density  and  actual 
weight  of  the  stone  and  give  a  means  of  comparing  the  different 
spumes.  However,  as  th;e>  result  obtained  dependsi  largely  on  llu* 
method  employed  one  is  liable  to  grave  errors  in  making  comparisons 
if  he  does  not  know  the  method  used  in  each  case  and  the  care  used 
in  making  the  test.  For  that  reason  we  give  the  particular's  in  re- 
gard to  the  methods  used  in  the  following  tables : 

1. — The  method  used  at  State  College  was  the  specific  gravity 
bottle,  in  which  a  small  bottle,  (_5  c.  c.j,  is  weighed  (1),  then 
filled  with  distilled  water  and  weighed  again  (2).  The  bottle  is  then 
emptied,  dried,  the  powdered  stone  put  in  and  reweighed  (3).  These 
weights  give  the  weig'ut  of  the  stone  and  the  weight  of  the  bottle 
full  of  water.  The  bottle  containing  the  sample  is  partly  filled  with) 
water  and  suction  applied  to  exhaust  the  air  bubbles  and  the  filling 
completed  and  another  weight  taken  (4).  The  specific  gravity  is  thenf 
computed  from  the  formula  -2— -fj£(!4  _  8)  That  is,  tiiie  weight  of  the 
stone  divided  by  the  weight  of  the  water  displaced  by  the  stone. 

± — General  Grillmore's  method*  is  to-  weigh  the  specimen  in  air, 
(A)  then  immerse  it  in  water  until  bubbling  ceases,  and  weighing  (B) 
then  removing  it  from  the  water  and  drying  the  surface  in  blotting 
paper  and  weighing  again  (0).  The  specific  gravity  is  then  found  by 
dividing  the  weight  of  the  dry  stone  by  the  weight  of  the  saturated 
stone  in  air  lesis  its  weight  in  water,  the  formula  being  _^p  specific 
gravity. 


"Appendix  IT.  Annual  Report  of  Chief  of  Engineers  for  1875.  page  7. 


PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  27 

3. — The  method  employed  at  the  Rose  Polytechic  Institute,  which 
is  quite  a  common  method  for  ordinary  purposes,  is  to  weigh  the  stone 
first  in  air,  (A)  and  then  in  water  as  quickly  as  possible,  (B)  the 
specific  gravity  being  the  weight  in  air  divided  by  the  difference  be- 
I  ween  the  weight  in  air  and  the  weight  in  water,  ^-^-y- 

4. — The  tests  at  Cornell  University  were  made  by  weighing  in  air 
:md  in  water  and  dividing  by  the  loss  of  weight  in  water.  But  no. 
particulars  are  given  as  to  length  of  time  the  specimen  was  left  in 
the  water  or  the  size  of  the  pieces.  Some  were  made  by  the  Jolly 
balance  and  some  by  a  chemical  balance.  The  result  is  an  average 
of  24  samples  which  vary  between  2.580  and  2.722,  a  difference  of 
nearly  9  pounds  o-n  the  cubic  foot. 

The  different  processes  enumerated  will  give  different  results. 
The  first  two  aim  to  give  the  specific  gravity  of  the  particles  or  con- 
stituents of  the  stone  exclusive  of  the  air  inclosed  in  the  pores. 
They  can  only  approximate  that  result  as  all  the  included  air  can- 
not be  expelled.  The  third  process  aims  to  give  the  actual  weight 
of  the  stone  as  it  goes  into  the  wall  including  the  air  in  the  pores. 
This  can  )only  approximate  such  a  result  as  it  is  impossible  to  prevent 
the  absorption  of  some  water  in  the  pores,  the  amount  varying  with 
the  skill  and  speed  of  the  opera,toir.  Hence  the  results,  within  the 
degree  of  accuracy  attained,  lie  between  the  two  extremes  of  the 
weight  of  the  particles  of  stone  exclusive  of  the  air  contained  and  the 
stone  with  all  the  included  air. 

A  few  comparative  tests  were  made  at  State  College  to  find  the 
ratio  between  the  results  obtained  by  their  method  and  those  ob- 
tained by  other  methods,  two  on  the  Connecticut  stones  and  one  on 
the  Laurel  Run  red  stone.  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  marked 
difference  in  the  Connecticut  stone  and  but  little  in  the  Laurel  Run 
red  stone,  which  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  latter 
is  a  dense  stone  practically  almost  free  from  pores,  while  the  others 
sire  porous.  However,  not  a  sufficient  number  of  duplicate  tests 
were  made  to  give  the  irtesults  the  value  they  should  have,  as  it  was 
not  known  with  what  care  nor  with  how  many  duplicates  the  tests 
were  made  at  Water  town. 

Comparative  tests  made  on  oolitic  limestone  from  two  localities 
by  the  first  and  third  methods  givien  above  show  2.05  and  2.65  by 
the  first  and  2.48  and  2.40  by  the  third  method,  a  very  perceptible 
difference. 

Greater  care  is  necessary  in  making  comparisons  between  porous 
stones  than  between  the  hard  and  dense  ones.  Thus  the  Hummels- 
rown  and  the  Connecticut  stones  by  different  methods  show  a  differ- 
ence of  .3  equal  to  nearly  II)  pounds  on  ihe  foot,  while  tested  by  llio 
same  method  the  difference  is  only  .0'2,  a  little  more  than  one 
pound.  As  a  rule  those  specimens  having  a  low  specific  gravity 
have  a  high  absorption. 


28  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

The  weight  per  cubic  foot  where  not  otherwise  specified  was  ob- 
tained by  multiplying  the  specific  gravity  by  (>2  1-2  the  weight  of  a 
cubic  foot  of  water. 

Absorption  testa.  —  The  value  of  the  absorption  tests  is  in  showing 
the  porosity  of  the  stone.  Other  things  being  equal  the  more  porous 
the  stone  the  greater  the  danger  from  frost.  That  is  of  two  stones 
similar  in  all  other  respects  but  porosity  the  more  porous  one  is 
liable  to  crumble  first.  Like  all  other  tests,  however,  it  is  valuable 
only  when  taken  with  the  other  properties  of  the  stone,  as  in  many 
probably  in  most  cases  other  properties  are  not  equal,  and  it  is  not 
always  safe  to  say  that  one  stone  is  not  so  durable  as  another  be- 
cause it  is  more  porous.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  more  tests  of  this 
character  are  nc-t  available  for  comparison.  All  that  could  be  ob 
iained  are  given  in  the  following  table.  The  absorption  of  the 
Laurel  Run  stone  as  may  be  seen  is  remarkably  low,  while  that  of 
the  Hummel stown  stone  is  below  the  average  for  sandstone.  In 
the  list  of  building  stone**  published  by  Gi mi-ore  the  s-pecim^ns  oi 
sandstones  from  different  regions  range  from  1  in  15  to  1  in  TO,  wit^i 
most  of  them  below  1  in  30  and  a  great  many  below  1  in  20. 

Crushing  tests  of  Brownstone.  —  On  the  accompanying  tables  all 
the  reliable  crushing  tests  that  could  be  obtained  on  the  brown 
stones  of  Pennsylvania  are  given,  along  with  the  tests  on  brown 
stones  from  other  localities  for  comparison.  The  authority  is  given 
in  each  case. 

The  White  Haven  stone,  the  Laurel  Run  stone,  and  the  Lumber- 
ville  stone  run  far  above  any  of  the  sandstones  in  crushing  strength 
as  might  be  expected  from  their  quartzite  character.  There  are  few 
quartzites  with  which  to  compare  them.  The  Potsdam  stone  (No.  10) 
is  quartzitic  but  the  result  is  so  abnormally  large  as  to  be  useless 
for  comparison.  The  only  other  quartzite  in  the  market  among 
building  stones  known  to  the  writer  is  the  Sioux  Falls  stone*,  no 
tests  of  which  are  at  hand.  The  Medina  sandstone  of  New  York  is 
very  hard  and  possibly  more  or  less  quartzitic. 

The  crushing  strength  of  the  true  sandstone  as  shown  on 
the  accompanying  list  and  other  lists,  ranges  from  3,000  to-  12,00;) 
pounds  per  square  inch,  only  two  on  the  list  outside  of  the  Hummels 
town  stone  ranging  as  high  as  13,000  pounds.  One  of  these  is  the 
Medina  stone  which  may  be  quartzitic,  and  one  from  Cromwell, 
Oonn.  The  Hummelstown  stone  is  above  the  average  brownstone 
in  crushing  strength  as  is  the  Birdsboro  stone,  both  of  which  are  as 
hard  as  is  consistent  with  ease  o-f  working.  The  Birdsboro  stone  in 
(rushing  gave  way  all  at  once  and  quietly,  while  the  Hummelstiowii 
stone  gave  way  with  a  loud  report,  all  of  the  specimens  giving  a 
good  pyramid  at  the  top  and  some  a  pyramid  at  the  base,  but  the 
latter  was  generally  scattered  in  the  explosion. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE. 

There  is  a  false  impression  among  stone  dealers  and  others  in 
regard  to  the  signification  of  the  crushing  test.  The  desire  seems  to 
he  almost  universal  to  have  a  crushing  test  as  high  as  possible. 
Objection  was  raised  by  one  company  to  the  publication  of  some  re- 
sults because  they  thought  they  were  not  high  enough.  A 
high  crushing  test  signifies  in  general  a  hard  rock,  but  hardness  is 
not  the  most  desirable  quality  in  a  building  stone,  in  fact  it  is  not 
always  a  desirable  one;  on  the  contrary  it  may  be  an  objection. 
\Vith  rare  exception  a  stone  that  is  hard  to  crush  in  the  machine  is 
correspondingly  hard  to  crush,  cut,  carve  or  break  under  the  stone 
cutter's  tool. 

The  idea  that  high  crushing  strength  shows  great  durability, 
while  a  common  one  among  dealers,  is  a  mistaken  one.  Hardness  or 
great  strength,  while  a  frequent  accompaniment  of  durable  stone,  is 
not  always  so,  nor  are  all  'hard  stones  durable  ones.  After  a  care- 
ful study  both  in  the  field  and  in  the  laboratory,  the  writer  is  satis- 
fied that  one  of  the  sandstones  on  the  accompanying  list  among  the 
very  lowest  in  crushing  strength  is  among  the  mo-st  durable  ones. 

There  are  some  sandstones  so  soft  when  first  quarried  that  they 
may  be  easily  crushed  in  the  hand  in  small  pieces,  but  they  will 
stand  exposure  where  not  subject  to  abrasion  better  than  many  of 
the  hardest  ro-cks. 

Some  of  the  useful  things  which  crushing  tests  if  properly  made 
show  are  the  uses  for  which  the  stone  is  fitted.  Thus  a  stone  with 
a  crushing  strength  of  less  than  6,000  pounds  per  square  inch  is  not 
suitable  for  paving  blocks,  sidewalks,  steps,  or  any  place  where  it 
will  be  subject  to  wear.  On  the  other  hand  it  may  be  easily  cut  and 
carved  and  for  most  building  purposes  it  may  be  one  of  the  best  and 
most  durable  stones.  Again  a  stone  with  a  crushing  strength  of 
more  than  14.000  or  15,000  pounds  per  square  inch  is  too  hard  for 
easy  cutting  or  dressing  and  is  not  suitable  for  carved  work  but 
might  make  good  paving  material  or  rock  face  work.  Uniformity  in 
the  results  indicates  homogeneity  in  the  stone,  a  useful  and  im- 
portant property.  A  great  difference  between  samples  tested  on 
the  bed  and  those  on  edge  indicates  a  degree  of  lamination  which 
renders  it  unfit  for  carved  work  or  projections.  A  similarity  of  re- 
sults between  tests  on  the  bed  and  on  the  edge  show  a  freestone 
character.  A  low  crushing  strength  for  an  apparently  hard  stone 
indicates  inherent  weakness,  probably  in  the  shape  of  weather, — 
powder, — or  hammer-cracks,  or  clay  secretions. 

In  comparing  the  results  on  the  accompanying  list  or  on  any  other 
list  it  is  advisable  to*  keep  in  mind  that  strength  per  square  inch  does 
not  vary  directly  with  the  difference  in  area.  That  is  a  cube  2  inches 
on  each  side  is  more  than  four .  times  as  strong  as  a  one-inch 


." 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT 


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32  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

cube,  or  stronger  than  four  one-inch  cubes  placed  side  by  side.  Gill- 
mo-re  has  computed  the  increase  from  u  series  of  experiments  on  dif- 
ferent sized  blocks  to  be  in  proportion  to  the  cube  roots  of  the  sides, 
thus  giving  a  decided  increase  in  result  for  the  large  specimens  over 
the  smaller.  That  is,  a  sample  of  a  stone  rested  in  a  4-inch  cubi' 
would  give  double  the  strength  per  square  inch  that  a  sample  1-2- 
inch  cube  would  give.  But  the  desire  to  get  as  large  results  as  pos- 
sible induce  both  the  dealers  and  the  ones  making  the  test  to  take  as 
large  a  specimen  as  possible  and  divide  the  total  stress  by  the  area  of 
crushing  surface.  On  the  accompanying  table  while  must  of  the 
specimens  were  2-inch  cubes  some  were  larger,  but  as  the  sizes  of  a 
number  of  the  specimens  could  not  be  obtained  none  of  them  are 
given.  Also  tests  made  at  different  places  by  different  o-perators 
on  the  same  stone  will  give  different  results.  So  that  comparisons 
should  not  be  too  rigid  until  the  different  conditions  are  con- 
sidered. 

Fire  te&ts.  —  Tests  were  made  in  the  assay  laboratory  at  State 
College  on  samples  of  sandstone  from  different  localities  in  the  State 
to  show  its  fire-resisting  properties.  There  were  samples  from  Hum- 
melstown  quarries,  from  the  Middletown  and  Hummelstown  quarry, 
from  Birdsboro,  Mohnsville,  Grenoble,  White  Haven  and  Laarel  Run. 
Along  with  these  for  comparison  were  specimens  of  the  Potsdam 
sandstone,  New  York,  the  green  serpentine  from  Thornbury  and  the 
oolitic  limestone  from  Indiana. 

The  specimens  were  first  heated  in  the  oven  until  zinc  melted  on 
their  upper  surface,  about  777°  F.,  and  some  were  cooled  in  air 
and  some  in  cold  water,  all  of  the  specimens  being  uninjured. 

They  were  then  heated  until  aluminum  melted  on  the  upper  sur- 
face, about  1,157°  F.,  but,  the  oven  being  much  hioittjer  at  one  end 
than  the  other,  some  Avere  at  a  higher  temperature.  The  limestones 
showed  traces  of  calcination  by  a  thin  coating  of  lime  in  spots 
OArer  the  surface.  The  sandstone  from  the  Middletown  and  Hummels- 
town quarry  was  perceptibly  softer  and  brighter  colored.  The  Hum 
melstown  and  the  Mohnsville  stones  were  brighter  colored,  but  the 
texture  and  strength  seemed  unchanged. 

The  specimens  were  then  heated  until  sodium  chloride  melted 
on  their  upper  surface,  nearly  1600°  F.,  while  many  of  them  were 
exposed  to  a  higher  temperature,  a  bright  red  heat.  The  limestone 
was  calcined  to  quicklime;  the  serpentine  had  lost  its  green  color 
and  cracked  in  several  places;  the  Middletown  and  Hummelstown 
stone  was  a  light  red  color  and  quite  soft  and  friable.  The  Hum 
melstoAvn  stone  was  a  brighter  red,  but  was  not  cracked  even  with 
cold  water,  and  apparently  nearly  if  not  quite  as  strong  as  before 
heating.  The  Mohnsville  had  changed  its  dark  brown  color  to  a 
bright  red  brown.  The  Birdsboro  pink  sandstone  and  the  Grenoble 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE. 

stone  showed  no  effect  of  the  heat  in  any  way.  The  White  Haven 
and  Laurel  Run  red  stone  changed  color  to  a  darker  brown  and 
duller  color,  but  the  texture  was  uninjured. 

The  tests  were  not  carried  further,  but  this  is  sufficient  to  show 
that  these  sandstones,  which,  are  fairly  representative  specimens,  are 
excellent  fire-resisting  stones.  No  tests  were  made  on  the  more 
aluminous  stones  of  the  Delaware  valley.  The  stones  tested,  while 
possibly  not  absolutely  fire-proof,  are  more  nearly  so  than  a  great 
muny  stones  in  the  market.  In  few  ordinary  fires  will  the  stone 
be  subject  to  a  temperature  higher  than  1600°  F.,  which  the  different 
stones  stood  without  injury  except  in  the  color  of  some  specimens. 

Occurrence  of  brownstones  in]  Pennsylvania. — The  brownstones, 
so  far  as  commercially  developed,  are  confined  largely  to  the  eastern 
and  southeastern  part  of  the  State.  The  New  Red  area,  in  which 
most  of  the  quarries  are  located,  as  shown  on  the  accompanying  map, 
extends  from  the  Delaware  river  north  of  Trenton  in  an  irregular 
rather  broad  belt  west-southwest  through  Bucks,  Montgomery, 
Berks,  Chester,  Lebanon,  Lancaster,  Dauphin,  York  and  Adams 
counties.  The  most  productive  quarries  are  those  near  Hummels- 
town.  Other  less  productive  quarries  are  at  Mt.  Gretna,  Schaeffers- 
town,  Mohnsville,  Birdsboro,  Phoenixville,  Valley  Forge,  Port  Ken- 
nedy, Fort  Washington,  Norristown,  Grenoble  Station,  Neshaminy, 
Newtown,  Yardley  and  Lumberville.  Quarries  of  considerable  size 
near  Middletown  and  Goldsboro  were  once  productive,  but  are  now 
abandoned.  There  is  a  sample  in  the  World's  Fair  collection  from 
Adamstown,  Lancaster  county,  but  it  is  not  known  whether  the 
quarry  is  in  operation  now  or  not. 

The  Mauch  Chunk  formation,  from  which  red-brown  quartzose 
sandstone  is  obtained,  surrounds  the  anthracite  coal  basins  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State,  and,  according  to  the  State  geological 
map,  underlies  the  coal  measures  of  the  west  and  west  central  por- 
tion of  the  State.  So  far  as  is  known  to  the  writer,  the  only  places 
that  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  stone  has  been  quarried  are  the  southern 
part  of  the  north  anthracite  field  and  the  east  end  of  the  middle 
field  at  Mocanaqua,  Laurel  Run  and  White  Haven.  A  brownstone 
has  been  quarried  near  Rockwood,  Somerset  county,  that  may  be 
from  this  formation,  but  no  definite  information  is  at  hand  con- 
cerning it.  A  brownstone  used  for  building  purposes  is  quarried 
at  Ell  wood  City,  in  the  west  pa-rt  of  the  State,  but  to  what  extent 
is  not  known.  It  is  presumably  of  Carboniferous  age,  but  no  partic- 
ulars in  regard  to  the  quarry  are  at  hand. 

There  is  brownstone  in  the  Catskill,  Clinton  and  Medina  groups 
in  Pennsylvania,  but  so  far  as  known  no  quarries  have  been  opened 
in  any  of  them.  Time  did  not  permit  a  personal  examination  of 
these  areas,  to  see  whether  good  stone  occurred  in  commercial  quan- 
tities or  not.  The  fact  that  there  are  many  productive  quarries  in 
3  A--22--96 


34  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

the  Medina  formation  in  Western  New  York  and  the  promising 
appearance  of  the  few  outcrops  observed  in  this  State  would  sug- 
gest the  possibilities  of  good  brownstone  from  one  or  both  of  these 
formations.  The  following  list  contains  ali  the  brownstone  quarries 
known  to  the  writer  in  the  State: 

List  of  the  broivn  and  red  stone  quarries  in  Pennsylvania. 

(Numbers  correspond  to  numbers  on  the  map). 

Numbers  1-42  are  in  the  New  Red  area. 

1.  Reehling    quarry,    2%    miles     west    of    Goldsboro — 1851  '.")(>. 
Thomas  Symington;  1850,  Geo.  Betz,  J.  H.  Kilhvcll;  18W-70,  Fra/cr 
and  Reehling;  1870-'80,  0.  P.  Reehling.    Now  idle. 

2.  Middletown  and  Hummelstown  quarry,  a  mile  north  of  Middle- 
town—  MiddDeftown  and  Hummelstown  Co.,  now  in  the  hands  of  a 
receiver. 

3.  Pennsylvania  Brownstone  Co.'s  quarry,  2  miles  south  of  Hum 
melstown— 1886-1890.      Idle  since  that  time 

4.  Hummelsitown  Brown-Stone  Co.,  Waltonville,  3  miles  south- 
east of  Hummelstown,  1800  to  tltoe  present.     4  quarries  — 1800-1860, 
local;  1860-66,  Henry  Brown;  1866-1877,  Pennsylvania  Brown  Free- 
stone Co.,  1877-'97,  Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Co. 

5.  Co-operative  Brownstone  Co.'s  quarry,  a  half  mile  east  of  Wal- 
tonville, new  small  opening,  now  idle. 

6.  Stoverdale  Brownstone  Co's  quarry,  |  mile  south  of  Walton- 
ville,  1895,  now  idle. 

7.  Hummell  quarry,  a  mile  south  of  Waltonville,  now  idle. 

8.  American  Brownstone  Co.,  2  quarries,  1^  miles  south  of  Wal- 
tonville, 1890-1893. 

9.  Swatara  quarry,  a  mile  south  of  Hockersville,  1894-1895. 

10.  Derry  quarry,  2  miles  south  of  Hockersville — Francis,  Painter 
&  Co.,  1884-1888. 

11.  Mount  Gretna  quarry — A.  G.  DeHuff. 

12.  Local  quarries,  south  of  Schaefferstown,  operated  by  Joseph 
Watson  and  others,  thirty  years  or  more. 

13.  Thurber  and  Wiegel  quarries,  south  of  Kleinfeltersville. 

14.  John  Westley's  quarry,  2  miles  southwest  of  Mohnsville— 
l886->97. 

15.  Amos  Price's  quarry,  2  miles  southwest  of  Mohnsville — 1883- 
'97. 

16.  Daniel    Shonour's    quarry,    2J   miles    southwest   of   Mohns- 
ville—'97. 

17.  Brooks'  quarry,  2  miles  south  of  Birdsboro.     Other  smaller 
quarries  in  the  vicinity.     Idle. 

1S.     Mounl  flare  quarry,  on  tho  hill  above  Mount  flare — '97. 
19.     Malin  Miller's  quarry,  Phoenixville.      Idle. 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE    COLLEGE.  35 

20.  Newton  Walker's  quarry,  4  mile  east  of  Perkiomen  Junction. 
Idle. 

21.  Charles  Johnson's  quarry,  a  mile  east  of  Valley  Forge — 181)7. 

22.  Port  Kennedy  Stone  Company,  Betzwood,  opposite  Port  Ken 
nedy— '97. 

23.  Port  Ilidian  quarry,  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  near  Port 
rndian.      Idle. 

24.  Derr  quarry,  west  side  of  NoiTistown.     Other  local  quarries. 
Idle. 

25.  Jollin  Brown's  quarry,  |  mile  west  of  Bridgeport,  Norristown 
—'97. 

26.  Sohenlein  quarry,  J  mile  west  of  Bridgeport,  Norristown — '97. 

27.  Tyson's  quarry,  £  mile  west  of  Bridgeport,  Norristown — '1)7. 

28.  Local  quarry,  east  side  of  Norristown. 

29.  Kennedy's  quairry,  \  mile  north  of  Fort  Washington — '97. 

30.  Wallace's  quairry,  \  mile  north  of  Fort  Washington.     Idle. 

31.  Frog  Hollow  quarry — Joseph  Paul,  18T6-'97;  \  mile  south  of 
Xeshaminy  post  office. 

32.  Loux  quarry,  A.  P.  Loux,  Tradesville,  2  miles  southwest   of 
Doylestown — '97. 

32a.     Grenoble   quarry,    Grenoble   station — 1891,   by   Jameson    & 
Ryan;  1892-'93,  J.  J.  Ryan;  '95-'97,  Moody  and  Edwards. 

33.  Mitchell  quarry,  Newtown— 1808-9,  S.  Prior  &  Co.;  180D-72, 
Prior  &  Son;  1882-'97,  Henry  Mitchell. 

33a.     W^atson's  quarry,  Newtown — 1894-'95,  Ohas.  Watson.      Idle. 

34.  Nicholson  quarry,  \  mile  west  of  Yardley — Operated  for  a 
number  of  years  by  Twining  Bros.;  later  by  James  Shevlin;  now  idle. 

35.  Yardley  quarrY,  \  mile  north  of  Yardley — 1873  1882,  by  Henry 
Mitchell;  1888-'97,  by  James  Shevlin. 

36.  White  quarry,  2  miles  north  of  Yardley— Wm.  White— '97. 

37.  Local  quarries,  along  the  canal  south  of  Yardley;  now  idle. 

38.  Carversville  quarry,  Carversville— 1881-'8o,  by  Twining  Bros. 

39.  Conner's  quarry,  a  mile  south,  of  Lumberton — 1890-'97  Thos. 
J.  Conner. 

40.  Sampsell  quarries,  a  mile  south  of  .Lumberton — J.  M.  Samp- 
sell. 

41.  Paxson's  quarry,  Lumberton— 1880-'97,  W.  S.  Paxson. 

42.  Quarries  of  the  Lumber ville  Granite  Co.,  Lumberton,  a  mile 
below  Lumberville — '97. 

The  following  are  in  the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Stone: 

43.  Reiser  and  Doland  quarry,  west  bank  of  the  Lehisi'h  river,  3 
miles  below  White  Haven,  near  Drifton  Junction — 1894-'97,  by  Reiser 
and  Doland,  Wilkesbarre. 

44.  'Cooper   Bros.'s    quarry,    west    bank    of   the   Lehigh    river,   2 
miles  below  White  Haven— Cooper  Bros.,  1892-'97. 


36  APPENDIX— ANNUAL   REPORT  Off.    Doc. 

45.  John  Redington  &  Co.'s  quarry,  cast  side  of  the  Lehigh  river,  1 
mile  below  White  Haven — '97. 

40.  Fox  quarry,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Lehigh  river,  opposite 
No.  45.  Idle. 

47.  Daneker's  :j  quarries,  west  side  of  the  Lehigh  river,  '2  miles 
above  White  Haven — 1873-1897,  by  John  Daneker. 

48.  Schmitt's  quarries,   Laurel   Run,  3  miles  south  of  Wilkes- 
barre — '5)7.     Other  quarries  adjoining  not  in  operation. 

49.  Elbow  quarry;  several  small  quarries  at  and  near  the  Elbow 
on  the  Central  Railway  of  New  Jersey,  2  miles  south  of  Wilkesbarre; 
only  one  in  operation  at  present. 

50.  Mocanaqua  quarry,  a  half  mile  above  (N.  E.  of)  Mocanaqua; 
idle. 

The  following  quarries  are  not  shown  on  the  map. 

51.  Somerset  Brownstone  quarry,  near  Kork wood,  Somerset  Co.— 
Operated  by  J.  C.  McSpadden. 

52.  Ell  wood  City  quarry — Operated  by  Wilson  Uros.  &  Co.,  Ell- 
wood  City,  Lawrence  County. 

Methods  of  quarrying  and  handling  the  brownstones. — In  all  of 
the  small  quarries  throughout  the  State  the  work  is  mostly  done 
by  hand,  and  frequently  with  liberal  .(entirely  too  liberal)  use 
'of  puwder.  Holes  are  drilled  by  hand  either  with  the  churn  drill 
or  jumper,  and  heavily  charged  with  powder  and  fired,  loosening 
sometimes  a  large  quantity  of  stone.  If  the  loosened  blocks  arc 
too  large  to  be  broken  by  repeated  blows  with  a  heavy  hammer,  an- 
other charge  of  powder  is  put  in  and  the  demolition  completed. 

As  may  be  well  imagined,  but  little  good  dimension  stone  is  quar- 
ried in  this  manner.  Yet  much  stone  that  would  be  good  dimen- 
sion stone  if  properly  quarried  is  taken  out  in  this  way.  Where 
good  dimension  stone  is  required  it  is  taken  out  by  splitting  the 
blocks  from  the  ledge  with  wedges  (plugs  and  feathers),  or  by  the 
Knox  blasting  system,  or  some  similar  system.  Channeling  ma- 
chines are  not  used  in  any  of  the  brownstone  quarries  of  the  State. 
Nor  is  the  stone  in  any  of  them  in  such  shape  as  to  require  or  justify 
their  use.  There  are  numerous  seams  in  all  of  the  quarries,  either 
bedding  or  joint  seams,  and  by  utilizing  these  seams  the  stone 
can  be  extracted  more  cheaply  by  wedging  and  blasting  than  by 
channeling.  In  the  larger  quarries  the  Knox  system  of  blasting 
is  used,  which,  if  properly  managed,  reduces  the  injury  to  the  stone 
almost  to  a  minimum. 

The  Knox  blasting  system,  which  is  patented,  consists 'essentially 
of  making  a  series  of  elongated  holes  along  the  line  of  desired  frac- 
ture, putting  in  a  light  charge  of  powder,  leaving  an  air  chamber 
between  the  powder  and  the  confining  plug  and  firing  all  simul- 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  37 

taneously  with  an  electric  battery.  It  requires  a  special  reamer 
to  make  the  drill  hole  oval  or  elongated,  or  the  hole  may  be  made 
by  boring  two  holes  side  by  side  and  breaking  down  the  wall  be- 
tween them.  The  Githens  system  claims  to  be  an  improvement  over 
the  Knox  system  of  having  a  drill  that  will  make  a  hole  of  the  re- 
quire! shapes  in  one  operation.  One  advantage  in  this  system  of 
blasting  is  the  great  saving  of  stone,  and  another  is  the  improved 
quality  of  the  stone,  as  it  is  not  subject  to  the  jar  of  such  a  heavy 
blast.  In  the  old  system  the  hole  was  drilled  and  loaded  with  a 
heavy  charge  of  powder  that  would  generally  loosen  and  greatly 
shatter  the  rock,  but  there  was  no  means  of  directing  the  force  so 
that  very  irregular  blocks  were  produced,  with  a  great  waste  of  rock 
and  time  and  energy  in  squaring  them.  In  the  new  system  the 
elongated  holes  direct  the  line  of  fracture  with  the  greatest  diameter 
of  the  hole,  and  the  stone  is  broken  into  rectangular  blocks,  the 
regularity  of  which  depends  on  the  number  of  holes  and  the  character 
of  the  rock.  Some  stone  is  much  straighter  in  the  grain  than  others, 
and  requires  fewer  holes  to  make  a  straight  break.  Thus,  the  Lum- 
berville  stone  is  readily  broken  by  holes  two  or  three  inches  deep, 
while  to  make  a  break  equally  straight  in  the  Yardley  stone  would 
require  the  holes  to  be  drilled  nearly  through  the  block  to  be  broken. 
The  number  and  depth  of  the  holes  neces'sairy  for  a  straight  break 
is  learned  by  experience  in  the  different  quarries. 

Where  the  rock  occurs  in  regular  layers,  after  once  getting  a 
straight  face  successive  blocks  are  broken  off  by  putting  a  row 
of  holes  parallel  with  the  face  and  firing  with  a  battery.  The  chan- 
neling machine  may  be  used  to  advantage  in  cutting  out  the  ends 
of  the  quarry,  or  if  on  a  long  face,  making  cross-cuts. 

While  there  is  no  question  that  this  method  of  quarrying  is  an 
improvement  over  the  old  method  of  blasting,  it  still  does  not  do 
away  entirely  with  the  injury  that  comes  from  blasting  the  stone, 
and  while  in  many  instances  it  would  be  more  expensive  to  remove 
the  stone  by  channeling  and  wedging,  the  stone  would  be  all  the 
better  for  being  so  quarried. 

In  all  small  quarries  the  stone  is  loaded  on  the  wagon,  car  or  boat 
by  hand,  or  with  the  use  of  a  hand-power  or  horse-power  derrick. 
The  large  quarries  have  steam  hoists.  The  Hummelstown  Brown 
Stone  Go.  has  30  derricks  erected,  besides  two  wire  cable  ways,  and 
steam  travelers  at  the  mill.  They  have  also  a  large  steam  shovel, 
for  handling  the  waste  and  a  railway  track  through  the  yard  and 
to  all  parts  of  the  quarries.  The  only  other  brownstone  quarries  in 
the  State  that  use  steam  power  are  those  c.f  the  Lumberville  (inuiite 
Co.,  at  Lumberville;  John  Schmitt's  quarries,  at  Laurel  Run,  and 
John  Daneker's  quarries,  at  White  Haven.  The  first  named  has  a 
wire  cable  with  a  carrier  run  bv  steam  across  the  Delaware  river  to 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

deliver  stone  to  the  railway.  The  Middiltown  and  Hummelstown 
quarry,  near  Middletown,  is  equipped  with  steani  and  electric  plant, 
but  it  is  now  idle,  and  has  been  for  several  years. 

Nearly  all  the  quarries  in  operation  are  near  I  he  railway  or  the 
canal.  The  shipping  facilities  of  each  is  mentioned  in  the  desrrip 
lion  of  the  quarry. 

Uses  and  adaptability.  —  Brownstones  are  used  for  almost  all 
classes  of  work  for  which  any  other  rock  is  used.  It  is  pre-eminently 
a  building  stone,  probably  one  of  the  most  valuable  in  the  market, 
and  adapted  to  as  many  different  classes  of  structural  uses  as  any 
other.  In  Pennsylvania,  besides  its  use  as  a  building  stone,  it  has 
been  used  as  sand  for  plastering,  masonry,  and  pig  beds  in  the  fur- 
nace, for  furnace  hearths,  lining  blast  furnaces,  monuments,  paving 
blocks,  curbing,  nagging,  stepping  stones,  macadam  and  concrete. 
But  by  far  the  larger  part  quarried  goes  into  structures  of  some 
kind:  The  better  qualities  into  superstructures  as  walls  or  trim- 
mings and  the  inferior  grade  into  foundations,  bridge  piers  and 
abutments,  culverts,  retaining  walls,  etc.  The  different  varieties 
are  all  adapted  to  these  different  uses  if  selected  with  care.  Thus, 
where  the  stone  is  to  be  carved  or  smooth-dressed  a  fine  grained  stone 
of  homogenous  color  and  not  too  hard  should  be  selected;  for  rock- 
faced  work  and  heavy  masonry  the  coarse-grained  can  be  used;  but 
all  kinds  are  suitable  that  are  sufficiently  strong  and  durable;  in 
bridge  piers  and  foundations  mixed  stone,  that  is,  stone  variegated 
in  color  and  texture,  may  be  used.  In  nearly  all  quarries  there  is 
considerable  stone  that  may  be  as  strong  and  durable  as  any,  but 
is  lacking  in  beauty  or  homogeneit}7,  and  cannot  be  used  as  first-class 
stone  in  superstructures,  but  which  can  be  used  to  advantage  in 
bridge  work,  where  strength  and  not  beauty  is  required. 

Soft  stones  like  those  from  Newtown  and  Yardlcy  are  admirably 
adapted  for  building  in  face  work  or  for  heavy  trimmings,  but  will 
not  stand  the  wear  in  pavements  and  streets,  or  heavy  cross-strain 
in  lintels  and  sills,  unless  protected  in  some  way.  Stones  like  those 
from  White  Haven,  Wilkesbarre  and  Lumberville  are  sufficiently 
hard  not  only  for  foot  wear  in  pavements,  but  for  street  wear  as 
Belgian  blocks  or  crushed  stone.  On  the  other  hand,  they  are  not 
adapted  to  buildings  where  much  cutting  or  carving  is  to  be  done 
on  account  of  their  hardness.  A  stone  with  weak  transverse  strength 
should  not  be  used  for  lintels,  sills,  caps,  etc.,  where  it  is  subject 
to  strain  unless  well  protected  by  over-arching  or  by  other  means. 
It  is  not  advisable  to  put  a  soft  or  porous  stone  in  the  foundation 
or  base-course  if  it  can  be  avoided.  The  most  trying  place  for  a 
stone  in  the  entire  building  is  in  the  part  next  to  the  ground,  where 
the  moisture  absorbed  from  the  earth  is  repeatedly  frozen.  This  part 
of  the  building  should  have  the  most  compact  and  least  absorbent 
si  one,  and  should  bf  laid  with  the  best  cement. 


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No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  39 

To  obtain  the  best  architectural  effects  care  must  be  taken  in 
selecting  the  colors.  This  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  the  architects 
and  the  contractors,  but  when  they  persist  in  putting  up  entire 
blocks  of  dark  brownstones  along  narrow  streets,  it  is  time  that 
owners  and  residents  should  protest.  Some  shades  of  brownstones 
are  pretty  in  themselves,  others  have  their  natural  beauty  intensified 
and  brought  out  by  judicious  mingling  with  other  colors  and  shades. 

The  lighter  colored  brownstones  could  be  used  in  larger  quantities, 
either  in  the  same  building  or  the  same  town,  with  more  pleasing  re- 
sults than  the  dark  colored,  but  the  two  together  will  produce  a 
better  effect  than  either  alone.  The  darker  stones  are  better  adapted 
to  business  blocks  on  the  principal  thoroughfares,  as  they  do  not  soil 
or  show  stain  so  readily.  The  lighter  colored  ones  are  adapted  to 
residences  in  the  suburbs  or  country  towns. 

The  very  hard  quartzite  varieties  should  riot  be  used  in  excess 
in  face  work  on  large,  unbroken  surfaces,  as  the  hard,  stony  glare 
produced  by  them  is  repellent.  On  a  large  face  this  could  be  relieved 
in  part  by  an  intermingling  of  sawed  or  tool-dressed  faces  among  the 
rock-faced  ones. 

Plates  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  9,  11,  12,  14,  15,  16,  17  and  19  show  some  of  the 
architectural  uses  of  Pennsylvania*  brownstones,  and  the  following 
pages  contain  a  list  of  many  of  the  buildings  constructed  of  the 
native  brownstone.  This  will  give  an  idea  of  the  extent  of  the 
industry,  the  varied  uses  and  adaptability  of  the  stone.  It  will  show 
that  the  usage  is  more  than  local.  The  primary  object  of  the  list, 
however,  is  to  enable  architects,  builders  and  others  to  see  where 
the  stone  has  been  used  that  they  m'ay  judge,  by  observation  in 
regard  to  its  beauty  and  adaptability,  as  a  building  shows  much 
more  than  a  hand  sample.  The  attempt  was  made  to  have  the  list 
sufficiently  extended  and  specific  that  persons  in  any  part  of  the 
State,  or  the  adjoining  states,  would  know  where  to  turn  to  build- 
ings of  Pennsylvania  brownstone  without  travelling  far.  Where 
the  part  of  the  building  in  which  the  stone  was  used  is  not  known 
a  question  mark  is  placed. 

BUILDINGS    CONSTRUCTED    OF    PENNSYLV ANITA   BROWNSTONE. 

Giving-  the  location  of  the  building,  the  architect  and  the  part  of  the  building 
in  which  the  stone  is  used,  w<here  known,  and  the  quarries  from  which  the 
stone  was  obtained.  An  ?  signifies  that  the  part  of  the  building1  and  the  arch- 
itect are  not  known  to  the  writer. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Allen<t.Gwn: 

Higlh -school,  base,  entrance  and  trimmings.     H.  B.-S.  Co.* 

Robert  E.  Wright's  residence.     ?    LuirtberviKle  quarries. 
Ambler: 

Presbyterian    church     entire.    Fort    Washington    quarries. 

Godfrey  Hotel,  entire.     Fo-rt  Washington  quarries. 

Mrs.  Reed's  residence,  entire.     Fort  Washington  quarries. 


*  In  this  list  H,  B.-S.  Co.  signifies  that  the  stone  Is  from  the  quarries  of  the  Hummelstown  Brown- 
stone  Company. 


40  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.  Doc. 

Bethlehem: 

Hon.     John     Fritz,     residence,     base,     entrance,     porches    and     trimmings. 

H.    B.-S.    Co. 
Bloomsburfi:: 

Columbia  county  court-house,  base,  entrance  and  trimming's.     II.  B.-S.  Co. 
Presbyterian   church,    entire,   facings   and   trimmings.     H.   B.-S.    Co. 
Carlisle: 

Denny  Hall,  Dickinson  College,  entire,  facings  and  trimmings. H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Bosler    Hall,    Dickinson    College,    base,    first    story,    entrance    porch    and 

trimmings.     H.    B.-S.    Co. 
Jail.     ?    Goldsboro  quarry. 
Catasauqua: 

High   school    base,    entrance   and    trimmings.     H.    B.-S.    Co. 
Chaderocksville : 

'School  house.     ?    White  Haven  quarries. 
Cornwall : 

Robt.     Coleman's    mansion    and    the    North     Cornwall    railway     station, 
numerous  dwellings  and  office  builddmgs   about  Cornwall,  entirely   from 
local  quarries. 
Danville: 

Hospital  for  the  Insane.     ?    Goldsboro  quarry. 
Opera-house.     ?    Golds'boro  quarry. 
Doylestown : 

Court-'house,  facings.     Lurnberville  quarries. 
Court-house,  trimmings.    Yardiey  quarry. 
Easton: 

Presbyterian   church.     ?    Yardiey  quarry. 
Rosenibaugh,  residence.     ?    Lumberville  quarries. 
Grant,   residence.     ?    Lumbervidle  quarries. 
Eddington,    Phil'a: 

Industrial  school.     ?    Newtown  quarry. 
Emporium: 

Caimeron  county  court-house,  base,  entrance  and  trimmings.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Fort  Washington: 

Lutheran    church,    J.    M.    Kennedy's    residence    and    a    number    of    other 

residences.    From  the  Fort  Washington  quarries. 
Gettysburg: 

Pennsylvania  College,  base,  doorway  and  trimmings.      H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Lutheran    Theological    Seminary,    base,    entrance,    porch    and    trimmings. 

H.   B.-S.   Co. 
Brua  Memorial   church,    base,    tower   base    entrance   and   trimmings.       H. 

B.-S.    Co. 
Hazleton: 

High  school  building,  base,  entrance  and  trimmings.       H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Church  Street  school,  blase,  entrance  and  trimmings.      H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Harrisburg: 

Grand  stairway,  entrance  to  the  State  Capitol. 

Westminster  Presibyterian  church,  entire.      C.  W.  Bolton.  architect. 
Pennsylvania    Railroad    Station,    base   and    trimmings. 

Administration  building,   State  Insane  Asylum,   porch,  columns,   caps,   en- 
trance and   trimmings. 

High  school  building,  the  entrance  and  all  the  trimmings  above  the  base. 
Hlarristourg  Club    the  base,  first  story,  entrances  and  trimmings. 
Governor's  Mansion,  front.    All  the  a.bove  from  H.  B.-S.  Co. 
'State  Arsenal,  C.  L.  Bailey,  and  Rudolph  Kelker's  residences.     From  Golds- 
boro quarry. 
Hoi  mes'burg,  Phil'a : 

St.    Dominlie   church,    doorways   and    trimmings.     Newtown    quarry.     Steps 

and  sills.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Hummelstown; 

Lutheran   church    (J.    A.    Denupwolf,   architect),    entire,    facings   and    trim- 
mings.      H.    B.-S.    Co. 
Huntingdon: 

Huntingdon    Reformatory    base    entrances    and    trimmings    of    administra- 
tion building,   base,  water-tables  and  trimmings  of  wards,   base,   water- 
tables   and    trimmings    of   walls.       H.    B.-S.    Co. 
Kingston: 

Pu'bMc  school  building,  base,  entrance  and  trimmings.       H.   B.-S.   Co. 
Music   Hall.     ?    White   Haven    quarries. 
Lancaster: 

German    Reformed   Theological   Seminary,   base,   doorways  and    trimmings 

H.  B.-S.  Co. 
People's  Biank,   entire  front  of  dressed  stone.       H.   B  -S.   Co. 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA    STATE    COLLEGE.  41 

Lock  Haven: 

Central     State    Normal     School,     steps,     water-table     and    all     trimmings. 

H.   B.-S.   Co. 
Mansfield : 

Mansfield  Normal  School!,  base,  water-table,  main  entrance  and  trimmings. 

H.  B.-S.   Co. 
Mauch    Chunk: 

Oarbon    county    court    house,    facings    from    the    Wtiite    H'aven    quarries. 

Doorways  and  trimmings.  H.  B.-S.  Co.     (See  Plate  5.) 
Middletown: 

Pennsylvania  Railroad   bridge,   W.    H.   Brown,   engineer.       H.    B.-S.    Co. 
M'illersville: 

Scientific    building,    State    Normal    School,    entrance   and    trimmings.       H. 
B.-S.  Co. 

Library    building,    State    Normal    School,    entrance    and    trimmings.       H. 

B.-S.     Co. 
Mount  Holly: 

Library,    entire,    facing  and    trimmings.       H.    B.-S.    Co. 
Newt  own : 

First    National    Bank,    Presbyterian    chapel,    Methodist    church,    addition 
to  the  public  school,  residences  of  George  Black,  Samuel  C.   Case,  Thos. 
Briggs,  Mrs.  Jo'hn  Copper,  all  built  entirely  of  stone  from  the  Newtown 
quarry. 
Norristown : 

Haws    Avenue    M.    E.    church,    water-taMe,    steps    and     trimming's.       H. 
B.-S.  Co. 

One    dhuroh,    severail    residences    and    part    of    the    high    wall    around    the 

'Catholic    school,    of    stone    from    the    local    quarries. 
Philadelphia: 

Residence   of   Mr.    Ellis,    W.    H.    Decker,    architect;    entire    front    and    ap- 
proaches   of    dressed    and    carved    stone. 

Residence  of  Mr.   Frazier,   base   and   trimmings. 

Residence  of  Mr.  Drexel,  base,  entrance  and  trimmings. 

Buildings  of  University  of  Pennsylvania,   base,   doorway  and   trimmings. 

'Medico-Chirurgical    College,    base,    entraince    and    trimmings. 

Ha'hnemann  College,  base,  approaches  and  all  trimmings. 

St.  Mathias  church,  facings  and  trimmings. 

Holy  Cbmmunion   church,   base  and  trimmings. 

German  Society  building    base,  doorway  and  trimmings. 

Young  Maennenchor  building,  base,   doorway  and  trimmings. 

Philadelphia  Bourse,  approaches  and  base. 

Bullitt    building,    G.    W.    and    W.    D.    Hewitt,    architects;    doorways,    entire 
first  story  and   trimmings  above. 

Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  base,  aproaches  and  other  brownstone  trimmings. 

Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  base  and  brownstone  trimmings. 

Frankford  pumping  station,  Tacony.   Philadelphia,  base  and   trimmings. 

Spring  Garden   pumping  station,   base   and   trimmings. 

Philadelphia  Library,   trimmings. 

Philadelphia    and     Reading    Railway     Station,     Frankford,     Philadelphia, 
base,  entrance  and  trimmings.    This  and  all  the  above  of  H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Philadelphia  Traction   Company   power  house-,   Market   street,   foundation 
and  trimming  from  Lumberville  quarry. 

German  Hospital,   Ginard  and  Corinthian  avenues;  all  face  stone.       New- 
town   quarry. 

Episcopal  Hospital,   Front   street  and  Lefhigh  avenue;   face  stone.       New- 
town   quarry. 

Methodist  Hospital,  Broad  and  Wolf  streets.     ?    Newtown  quarry. 

Parochial  school  and  parsonage  for  St.  Anne's  church,  Lehigh  avenue  and 
Cedar  street.     ?    Newtown  quarry. 

Convent  of  the   Good   Shepherd,    Chew  street,    German-town,   Philadelphia. 

Newtown    quarry. 
Pottsville: 

Garfield  school,   base,   entrance  and   trimmings.       H.   B.-S.   Co. 

Public  school  building.     ?    Goldsboro  quarry. 

Tenftih  census,  1880.  says  the  Goldsboro  brownstone  is  used  in  two  or  three 
buildings,   and  that   the  Hummelstown   brownstone  is  the   stone  chiefly 
used  for  trimmings,   being  in  every  way  satisfactory. 
Reading: 

First  Baptist  church,   trimmings,    steps  and   approaches.       H.   B.-S.   Co. 

'Home  of  the  Good  Shepherd,   base,  water-table,  entraince  and   trimmings. 
H.   B.-S.   Co. 

Court-house.     ?    Mohmsvi'lle    quarry. 

Keystone  Bank,  on  Penn  above  Sixth.     ?    MohnsvilUe  quarry. 

S'*pvpn«    buildirg.     ?    Mohnsville    quarry. 

3A* 


42  APPENDIX— ANNUAL,  REPORT  Off.  Doc. 

Reading— continued : 

Residence  of  John  Barby.     ?    Mohnsville  quarry. 

Several  school  houses.      Mohnsville  quarry. 

Residence    of    J.    H.    Sternbergh,    all    face    stone.      L«ocal    quarries,    pink 
stone,  south  of  Birdsboro.    (See  Plate  19.) 

Chapel   and   entrance    buildings    of    the   Ohas.    Evans   Cemetery.    Mohns- 
ville quarries. 
Schaeff  erstown : 

Thurber's  resli'dence,  entire  from  local  quarries  south  of  town. 

Weigle's  residence,  entire  from  local  quarries,  south  of  town. 
Scotland: 

Soldiers'    Orphan    Industrial    Home,    base,    entrance    and   trimmings.      H. 

B.nS.   Co. 
Scranton: 

Public  School  buildiing,  entrance,  water-table  and  trimmings.    H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Laurel    Run    redstone,    said    to    be    used    in    Scranton,    but    no    buildings 

specified. 
Shamokin : 

Trust  building,  base,  entrance  and  trimmings.    H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Shippen'sburg: 

State  Normal  School.    ?    Goldsboro  quarry. 
State  College: 

Engineering!    building,     base,     entrance-    and     trimmings.       H.     B.-S.     Co. 

(See  p.  50.) 
Steelton: 

Foundation  for  machinery  and  blooming  mill   and   for  Bessemer  engine. 

Goldsboro   quarry. 
Sunbury: 

Public   school   building,    base,    entrance    and   trimmings.      H.    B.-S.    Co. 
William-sport: 

SusqueibJanna  trust   building,    base   entrance,    piers  and   trimmings   above. 
H.  B.-S.   Co. 

Wli'llitam's.port  Hospfital,  water-table,  steps  and  trimmings.    H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Torresdale,  Phil'a: 

Eden  Hall.     ?    Newtown  quarry. 
Wilkesibarre: 

Oity   Hall,    base,    first   story,    entrance    and    trimmings    above    first   story. 
H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Y.    M.    C.    A.    building,    entrance,    first    story,    piers    and    all    trimmings. 
H.  B.^S.  Co. 

St.  Nicholas  German  Catholic  church,  entire.  Will-ram  Sdhickel,  architect. 

Laurel  Run  Redstone  quarries.     (See  Plate  4.) 

First    Presbyterian    chuirch,    entire,    J.    C.    Cady,    architect.       Laurel    Run 
redstone   quarries. 

Baptist  chapel,  entire.      Laurel   Run   reds<tone  quarries. 

Residence  of  E.  C.  Prank,  base  and  first  story  front,  A.   H.  Kipp,  archi- 
tect.     Laurel  Run  redstone  quarries. 

Residence  of  S.  L.  Brown,   base  and  bay  window,  A.  H.  Kipp,   architect. 
Laurel  Run  redstone  quarries. 

Ninth  regiment  armory,  base,  entrance  aind  trimmings;  M.  B.  Houpt,  ar- 
chitect.     Laurel  Run  redsitone  quarries. 

A    great    deal    of    Laurel    Run    redstone    used    in    Wilkesbarre    for    foun- 
dations, retaining  walls,  curbing,  etc. 
York: 

Residence    of   Judge    Stewart,    base,    first    story,    entrance    and    trimmings 
above.      H.    B.-S.    Co. 

Colonial  Hotel,   water-taible,   entrances,   porches  and   trimmings.     H.   B.-S. 
Co. 

United  States  court-house  and  post  office,  base,  water-table,  column  caps, 
arches  at  entrances  and  trimminiges.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 

York   Collegiate  Institute,   all   of  the   trimmings.      H.   B.-S.    Co. 

Residence  of  Mr.  W.  M.  Kurtz   base,  entrance  and  trimmings.    H.  B.-S.  Co. 

St.  Paul's  church.     ?    Golds/boro  quarry. 

Tenth    census    report,    1880.    states    that    the    Goldsboro    brownstone    was 
used  to  considerable  extent. 

FLORIDA. 

Orlando: 

Orange    county*    court-house,    (approaches,     water-table    and     trimmings. 
H.   B.-S.   Co. 


Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 


MAUCH    CHUNK    COURT   HOUSE. 

Showing  the  use  of  Pennsylvania  bro\vnstones  in  public  buildings.     The  face  work 
White  Haven  red  stone,  entrance  and  trimmings  of  Hummelstown  brownstone. 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  13 

ILLINOIS. 

Chicago: 

Residence  of  Mr.  Wellman,  Beethoven  Place,  between  Wells  and  Sedg- 
wick  streets,  base  and  trimmings.  H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Residence  of  Mr.  King,  Michigan  avenue  arid  Harrison  streets,  base  and 
trimmings.  H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Residence  of  John  Heiland,  1506  Michigan  avenue,  base  and  trimmings. 
H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Residence  of  K.  A.  Shaw,  Jackson  and  Laflin  streets,  base  and  trimmings. 
H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Residence  of  Mr.  Nash,  Ashland  avenue  near  Harrison  street,  base  and 
trimmings.  H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Apartment  buildings  of  Mr.  Johnson,  212-216  Indiana  street,  base  and  trim- 
mings. H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Mr.  Kenistooi's  building,  Carpenter  and  Madison  streets,  base  and  trim- 
mings. H.  B.-S.  Co. 

INDIANA. 

Indianapolis: 

Union  Station,  stone  trimmings  above  base.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 

MARYLAND. 

Gapland: 

Army    Correspondence    Memorial    Arch,    arches,     tablets    and     trimmings. 

H.    B.-S.    Co. 
Hagerstown : 

Administration  building.     ?    Goldsboro  quarry. 
La   Plata: 

Court-house,  entrance,  water-table  and  trimmings.     H.   B.-S.  Co. 
Ro-kville: 

Court-house  of  Montgomery  county,  entrance  water-table  and  trimmings. 
H.  B.-S.  Co. 

MISSOURI. 

St.    Louis: 

Residence  of  William  Clark,  base,  entrance  and  trimmings.        H.  B.-S.  Co. 

NEW    JERSEY. 
Camden: 

Catholic  ichurch.     ?    Yardley  quarry. 
Elizabeth: 

Senator  Oorvin's  residence.     ?    Lumbervill-e  quarry.  ,, 

Mount  'Clare: 

Residence  of  Col.  FeMows,  entire  facing  -and  trimmings.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Orange: 

M.  E.  church,  entire  facing  and  trimmings.        H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Princeton : 

Princeton  College,  trimmings  to  one  of  .the  buildings.       Newtown  quarry. 

NEW    YORK. 

Be  Ion  a : 

Belona  Baptist  church,  water-table  and  trimmings.       H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Brooklyn: 

(St.  John"s  Hospital.     ?    Lumiberville  quarries. 
Clifton  Springs: 

Sanitarium,  approaches,  poroh,  doorway,  and  all  trimmings.       H.  B.-S,  Co. 
Elmira:  * 

Belgian  blocks  in  the  streets.    White  Haven  quarries. 
New  York  City: 

Miarket  and  Pulton  National  Bank.  W.  B.  Tubby,  architect,  base,  en- 
trance and  trimmings.  H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Pottier  and  Stymus  building,  S.  D.  Hatch,  front  entirely  of  dressed,  rubbed 
and  carved  stone.  H.  B.-S.  Co. 

OHIO. 
Cleveland: 

Residence  of  Mr.  S.  P.  Everett,  C.  F.  Schweinfurth,  architect,  en'ire 
facing  and  trimmings.  H,  B,^S.  Co. 


44  APPENDIX—  ANNUAL   REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

Cleveland—  continued  : 

Arcade  building,  G.  H.  Smith  and  Jno.  Eisenmann,  architects,  entrances, 
first  story  piers,  and  cornice  and  trimmings  above.  H.  B.-S.  Co.  (See 
Plate  15.) 

Wade  Bank,  doorway,  base  and  trimmings  above.       H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Residences  of  Messrs.  Warner  and  Swasey,  base,  entrances,  porch  and 
trimmings.  H.  B.-S.  Co. 


of  Col.  Platt,  base,  entrance,  porch  and  trimmings.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Salem: 

Pennsylvania  Railroad   Station,   base  and   trimmings.       H.   B.-S.  /Co. 

VIRGINIA. 
Abington: 

United  States  court-house  and  post  office,  trimmings.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Leesburg: 

'St.  James'  church,  entrances,  water-table,  and  trimmings.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 
Washington,  D.  C.: 

Residence  of  Senator  Hurst,  W.  H.  Miller,  architect;  base,  porch,  entrance, 
and  trimmings. 

Residence  of  Senator  Sawyer,  entire  facing  and  trimmings. 

Residence  of  Hon.  Levi  P.  Morton,  base,  entrance  and  trimmings. 

St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  church,  P.  N.  Dwyer,  architect;  entire  facings 
and  trimmings, 

Richmond  Flats—  base,  first  story,  and  trimmings  above. 

Oodhran  Hoitel-^base,  entrance  and  trimmings. 

Albaugh's  Opera  House—  base,  first  story,  and  trimmings  above. 

Albany  Flats—  base,  first  story,  and  trimmings  above. 

Bureau  of  Printing  and  Engraving  —  trimmings  and  entrance. 

Residence  of  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine,  trimmings. 

Residence  of  Senator  John  Sherman,  trimmings. 

Residence  of  Senator  J.  D.  Cameron,  trimmings. 

Residence  of  Jerome  Bonaparte,  trimmings. 

All  the  above   Washington   buildings   are    of  H.    B.-S.    Co.    stone.     Goldsboro 
brownstone  is  said  to  have  been  used  in  Washington. 

WEST  VIRGINIA. 
Hluefield: 

People's  Bank,  entrance  and  trimmings.     H.  B.-S.  Co. 

Statistics.  —  The  statistics  of  the  brownstone  production  in  Penn 
sylvania  could  not  be  obtained  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner.  Some 
of  the  quarries  were  not  in  operation  at  the  time  of  my  visit  to  them 
and  the  parties  could  not  be  seen  personally.  A  few  refused  to  give 
the  production  of  their  quarries;  while  some  of  the  others  would  give 
only  the  average  for  the  last  six  years.  The  figures  of  production 
that  were  obtained  from  the  majority  of  active  producers  were  com- 
bined with  the  averages  given  by  others,  and  to  these  were  added 
conservative  estimates  of  the  remainder.  The  figures  obtained  in 
this  way  are  here  given: 

Value  of  brownstone  produced  in  Pennsylvania  since  1890. 

Values  given  Estimated  Total  for 

by/juarrymen.  values.  the  year. 

1891,    ....................  $348,000  $69,000  $417,000 

1892  ....................  .  353,700  82,000  435,700 

1893,  ...........  .........  346,900  80,000  426,900 

1894,  ....................  340,400  71,000  411,000 

1895,  ....................  351,200  70,000  421,200 

1896,  ............  .  .......  325,000  55,000  380,000 


Value  of  average  yearly  production  since  1890,  ,,..,,          $415,300 


No.  21  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE.  45 

The  above  does  not  include  any  estimate  on  production  of  the 
quarries  at  Phoenixville,  Mount  Glare,  Valley  Forge  and  vicinity, 
Gonestoga  Valley,  Mocanaqua,  Rockwood,  Ell  wood  City  and  the 
quarries  in  the  vicinity  of  HummeLstoiwn  outside  of  the  Hummels 
town  Brown-Stone  Company,  because  there  are  not  sufficient  datai 
available  to  give  such  an  estimate  any  value.  Nor  does  it  include: 
any  estimate  on  the  purely  local  usage  of  the  sto-ne  where  there  is; 
no  established  quarry.  And  this  is  an  important  source  in  the 
aggregate,  as  in  Lancaster,  Lebanon,  Dauphin,  York,  Berks,  Chester, 
Bucks  and  Montgomery  counties  there  are  a  great  many  farm  build- 
ings an.d  country  residences  constructed  from  stone  taken  from  out- 
crops on  the  farm  or  immediate  vicinity. 

The  estimates  were  based  on  comparison  with  other  quarries  in 
the  same  district,  from  the  number  of  men  employed,  the  uses  to 
which  the  stone  was  put,  the  time  it  was  in  operation,  the  size  of  the 
opening  and  other  things.  The  list  above  on  which  no  estimates, 
were  given  includes  those  quarries  of  w'hich  we  had  not  sufficient 
data  to  make  a  rational  estimate.  From  the  information  at  hand  Ii 
feel  safe  in  saying  that  the  value  of  the  total  production  of  brown- 
stone  in  the  State  would  be  not  less  than  $450,000  and  possibly  not 
less  than  a  half  million  dollars  per  year.  However,  the  distribu- 
tion through  the  six  years  would  be  different  from  that  shown  on  tfhe> 
table,  as  some  of  the  largest  producers  gave  their  product  only  in  the1 
average  annual  output  and  as  we  had  no  data  for  distributing  it,  itt 
was  counted  the  same  for  each  year.  Hence  the  product  for  '95  and 
'DC  would  be  less  than  that  shown  on  the  table  and  that  for  '91  and 
'92  much  more  making  the  yearly  average  the  same. 

PART  II.       LOCAL  FEATURES  OF  THE  BROWNSTONES  OF 

PENNlSYLVANA.. 

General  features  of  the  New  tied  area. — The  New  Red*  is  a  name 
commonly  applied  in  this  State  to  a  series  of  rock  strata  in  south 
eastern  Pennsylvania  of  age  more  recent  than  the  Carboniferous  and! 
commonly  supposed  to  correspond  to  the  Triassic,  and  possibly  Juras- 
sic in  part,  division  of  the  Mesozoic. 

It  forms  a  belt  of  varying  width  extending  through  southeastern 
Pennsylvania  from  New  Jersey  to  Maryland  and  including  nearly 
all  of  Bucks  and  Montgomery  counties  and  parts  of  Chester,  Berks, 
Lebanon,  Dauphin,  York  and  Adams  counties.  This  forms  but  part 
of  an  outcrop  extending  along  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States 
between  the  Allegheny  Mountains  and  Blue  Ridge  from  Massachu- 

*Dr.  Lyman  in  his  excellent  treatise  on  the  New  Red  of  Bucks  and  Montgom- 
ery counties  and  in  a  paper  in  the  Journal  of  Geology,  gives  reasons  for  retain- 
ing the  name  New  Red  in  preference  to  Newark,  Connecticut,  Jurassic,  Triassic,, 
Mesozoic.  and  other  synonyms. 


46  ,  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.  Do<*. 

setts  to  North  Oai'oliua  but  broken  into  separate  areas.*  The  stone 
occurs  and  is  quarried  in  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New  York, 
New  Jersey,  Maryland,  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 

It  is  made  up  of  a  series  of  shales-,  sandstones  and  conglomerates, 
for  the  most  part  of  red  brown  color  but  varying  widely  in  different 
localities.  Dr.  Lyman  as  a  result  of  his  investigation  in  Montgomery 
county  makes  the  total  thickness  c-f  the  whole  series  in  that  county 
27,000  feet  subdivided  as  follows: 

Feet. 

Pottstown  shales,  red  shale  with  a  few  scattered  green 

layers, 10,000 

Perkasie  shales,  green  and  dark  red  or  gray  shales,. . ...  2,000 

Lansdale  shales,  red  shales  with  a  few  scattered  green 

layers, 4,700 

Gwynedd  shales,  black,  dark  gray,  and  red  or  green 

shales, 3,50 ) 

Norristown  shales,  red  shale,  brown  and  gray  sandstone 

and    conglomerates, 0,100 


Total,    27,000 

As  will  be  seen,  the  brown-stone  occurs  in  the  lower  group  of  the 
series  according  to  this  classification.  No  attempt  was  made  in  the 
present  work  to  carry  this  correlation  westward  into  the  neighbor- 
ing counties,  or  to  correlate  the  different  deposits  found  there,  as 
;there  was  not  sufficient  time  available  to  give  such  work  any  value. 
'The  Mohnsville,  Cornwall,  Hunimelstown,  Goldsboro  beds  while  they 
:aire  thought  to  be  the  straitigraphic  equivalent  of  the  Norristown, 
JNewtown,  Yardley,  Lumberville  bed®,  they  were  not  so  proven  and 
(because  of  lack  of  time  no  attempt  was  made  to  prove  w nether  the 
Hower  part  of  the  series  including  the  brownstone  was  of  Permian 
age  .as  thought  by  Dr.  Lyman,  or  of  more  recent  age  as  argued  by 
other  writers. 

There  has  been  considerable  discussion  about  the  apparently  great 
thicknessf  of  this  formation  in  different  localities.  The  only  part 
that  has  a  direct  bearing  on  the  present  discussion  is  the  thickness 
of  the  beds  of  workable  sandstone  and  of  the  material  separating 
them.  The  workable  sandstone  is  in  beds  varying  from  a  few  feet  to 
a  hundred  feet  or  more.  If  one  includes  the  interstratified  shale 
layers  a  thickness  of  several  hundred  feet  might  be  obtained  at 
either  Lumberville  or  Hummelstown.  There  is  probably  a  greater 
thickness  of  good  stone  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  shale  in  the 


*See  maps  in  Dr.  Lymaii's  report,  Pa.  Geol.  Survey-Summary.  Final  Report,  or 
in  Bull.,  85  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey. 

The  reader  is  referred  to  Bull.  85  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  for  a  review 
•of  the  whole  subject  and  literature  bearing  upon  it. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  47 

vicinity  of  Lumberville  than  in  any  other  locality.  At  Newtown  and 
Yardley  the  bed  is  30  to  40  feet,  at  Grenoble  and  Fort  Washington 
about  the  same.  At  Norristown  it  is  50  feet  or  more,  at  Mohnsville 
about  30  feet,  at  Hummelstown  50  feet,  and  at  Goldsboro  12  to  15 
feet.  At  most  places  where  the  sandstone  occurs  there  is  a  succes- 
sion of  several  beds  separated  by  intervening  beds  of  red  shale  and 
conglomerate,  the  value  of  the  deposit  depending  upon  the  relative 
proportion,  position,  and  character  of  the  sandstones^ 

So  far  as  known,  the  slhales  have  no  economic  value  further  than 
that  the  harder  forms  are  used  in  places  for  road  metal  and  in  two 
places.  Mount  Clare  and  Birdsboro,  they  have  been  used  for  building 
material. 

Some  writers  have  supposed  that  all  the  strata  of  the  series  have 
a  uniform  dip  north  to  northwest  of  10  to  25  degrees,  but  such  has 
been  shown  not  to  be  the  case.  While  the  west  of  north  dip  is  the 
more  prevalent  one  it  is  not  the  only  one  as  shown  on  Dr.  Lyman's 
sections,*  and  as  may  be  seen  in  a  field  examination. 

The  deposits  were  formed  in  a  comparatively  narrow  lake,  bay, 
or  arm  of  the  sea,  which  was  in  a  general  way  parallel  with  the  pre- 
sent coast  line,  and  limited  by  the  older  rocks  on  each  side.  The 
beds  of  sandstone  and  shale  wrere  formed  by  the  filling  in  of 
a  depression  not  unlike  the  present  great  Valley  of  the  Appalach- 
ians, which  would  be  an  inland  sea  or  bay  if  the  east  coast  were  to 
be  depressed.  Part  of  the  materials,  the  course  conglomerate,  was 
deposited  by  rapid  streams  or  currents  and  part,  the  shales,  in  ooiin- 
paratively  still  water,  the  sandstones  forming  an  intermediate  grade. 
Whether  we  consider  Dr.  Ly  man's  estimate  of  27,000  feet  or  a 
greater  or  less  thickness,  we  see  that  the  greater  portion  of  the  whole 
is  composed  of  shales,  a  comparatively  small  part  of  sandstones,  and 
a  still  smaller  per  cent,  of  conglomerates,  but  the  proportion  is  by 
no  means  uniform.  Thus  at  Portland,  Conn.,  there  is  a  thickness 
of  more  than  500  feet  of  nearly  all  sandstone  with  some  conglome- 
rate and  very  little  shale.  In  the  vicinity  of  Mohnsville,  Birdsboro, 
Schaefferstown  and  Cornwall  there  is  a  great  deal  of  conglomerate, 
some  of  it  very  coarse.  West  of  the  Susquehanna  shales  appear  to 
predominate  with  but  little  sandstone  or  conglomerate. 

Throughout  the  entire  brownstone  area  both  in  this  and  other 
states  there  are  considerable  areas  of  trap  rock,  which  occurs  inter- 
calated between  the  layers  of  sandstone  and  shale,  cutting  through 
them  in  dikes  or  covering  the  surface  in  boulders,  without  showing 
the  method  of  extrusion,  and  which  has  been  utilized  for  road  mate- 
rial and  to  some  extent  for  building  stone. 


*In  the  Atlas  to  the  summary  Final  Report,  Pa.  Geol.  Surv.,  1893. 


48  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

A.     DETAILED   DESCRIPTION   OF    THE    SOUTHWEST    PART   OF  THE 
NEW  RED  BROWNSTONE  AREA. 

Hummelstown,  Goldsboro  and  Vicinity. 

Hummelstown.  —  The    Hummelstown    brownstone,     which     is  so 
well  and  favorably  known  by  most  of  the  architects  and  builders 
throughout  the  country  derives  its  name  from  the  town  of  Hummels- 
town, which  is  located  ten  miles  east  of  Harrisburg,  and  one  nun 
dred     and     three     miles     from     Philadelphia,     on     the     Lebanon 
Vailley  branch-  of  the  Philadelphia  &  Heading  Railway,  and  is,  there- 
fore, within  a  few  hours  distance  from  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Bal 
tirnore,  Washington  and  the  other  principal  cities  of  the  east. 

Hummelstown  is  an  old  settlement,  having  been  laid  out  by 
Frederick  Hummel  in  1762,  who-  named  it  Fredrickstown,  which 
name  was  afterwards  changed  to  Hummelstown.  It  is  older  as  a 
town  than  Hairrisburg  which  was  not  laid  out,  as  a  town,  by  John 
Harris,  until  1784. 

The  deposits  of  brown  sandstone  are  found  in  the  hills  southeast, 
south  and  southwest  of  the  town,  and  have  been  used,  locally  for 
tombstones  and  building  purposes  from  about  the  time  of  the  first 
settlement.  Tombstones,  in  excellent  condition,  dating  back  to  the 
earlier  years  of  1700  can  be  found  in  all  of  the  old  burial  places  in 
t'he  vicinity.  Many  of  the  old  houses  and  barns  are  built  of  the 
same  stone. 

The  Hummelstown  brownstone,  as  it  is  the  most  extensively 
quarried  and  best  known  brownstone  of  the  State,  deserves  more 
than  a  passing  notice.  It  is  in  fact  the  only  native  birownstone  that 
is  widely  known  outside  of  the  State.  Stone  from  other  localities  has 
been  shipped  out  o-f  the  State,  but  in  small  quantities  compared  with 
that  which  comes  from  the  Hummelstown  quarries.  As  the  stone 
varies  somewhat  in  the  different  openings,  different  varieties  will 
be  described  under  the  heading  of  the  company  that  owns  the  quarry. 

There  are  a  dozen  openings  from  which  considerable  stone  has 
been  taken.  Four  of  these  are  worked  by  the  Hummelstown  Brown- 
Stone  Company,  one  was  operated  by  the  Pennsylvania  Brownstone 
Company,  one  by  the  Middletown  and  Hummelstown  Company,  one 
by  Hartlieb  Brothers,  of  Lebanon,  one  by  Francis  Painter  and  Com- 
pany, of  Derry  Church,  one  by  the  Stoverdale  Brownstone  Com- 
pany, one  by  the  Co-operative  Brownstone  Company,  two  by  the 
American  Brownstone  Company,  one  by  Mr.  Hummel.  Besides 
those  enumerated  there  are  smaller  openings  of  purely  local  import- 
ance. 

Hummehtown  Broivn- Stone  Company  —  While  nine  different 
companies  have  operated  quarries  in  recent  years  in  the 


Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  VI. 


VIEW    IX    QUARRY    NO.    1,    HUMMELSTOWN    BROWN-STONE   COMPANY. 

Showing  dip  of  strata  and  method  of  working. 


RESIDENCE   OF   SENATOR   SAWYER,    WASHINGTON,    D.    C. 

Showing  use  of  Hummelstown  brownstone  in  private  residences. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  ,  49 

vicinity  of  Huminelstown,  the  only  one  in  operation  at  press 
ent  is  the  Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Company.  This  is  due 
partly  to  the  more  favorable  location  of  their  quarries,  with  reference 
to  the  quantity  of  good  stone  obtainable,  their  shipping  facilities, 
the  amount  of  capital  invested,  and  in  no  small  degree  to  the  business 
tact,  energy,  and  perseverance  of  the  managers  which  enable  them 
to  continue  in  successful  operation  during  a  business  depression  like 
that  of  the  present.  Believing  that  they  had  a  good  stone  which  was 
needed  in  the  market,  they  gave  their  time  and  energy  to  pushing  it 
into  prominence,  enlarging  their  facilities  when  necessary  to  meet 
the  demand. 

Probably  the  first  regular  quarry  opened  in  the  region  was  one, 
now  belonging  to  this  company,  located  on  what  was  known  as  the 
Berst  property.  A  farm  house  near  the  quarry  built  entirely  of  this 
stone  was  erected  in  1800.  The  corner  stone  bearing  the  date  shows 
the  tool  marks  as  perfectly  as  when  first  dressed.  (See  Plate  2  p.  22.) 
Stone  was  quarried  on  this  propeirty  to  enlarge  the  lacks  on  the 
Union  Canal  in  1853-58.  It  was  also  used  for  bridges  and  culverts 
on  the  Lebanon  Valley  Railroad,  built  about  the  same  time.  * 

In  all  probability  it  was  the  quarrying  of  the  stone  for  this  work 
which  first  called  the  attention  of  stonecutters  and  contractors 
from  a  distance  to  its  value  as  a  building  stone,  for  after  this  time 
(1858)  there  was  a  continuous  trade  in  stone  from  tOiis  locality,  and 
building  stone  such  as  steps,  door  and  window  sills  were  shipped 
either  by  canal  or  rail,  to  all  the  larger  towns  in  the  adjacenl 
counties. 

The  quarries  of  the  Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Comipany  on  the 
Berst  property,  were  worked  in  18GO  by  Henry  Brown,  of  Harris- 
burg,  who  began  by  taking  out  stone  for  the  Dauphin  County  Court- 
House  at  Harrisburg.  He  continued  the  work  by  shipping  stone  to 
various  places,  and  formed  a  company  under  the  name  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Brown  Freestone  Company,  who  in  1866  built  the  first  sftone 
saw-mill  in  this  locality.  In  the  fall  of  1867  the  management  of  this 
company  was  taken  by  Allen  Walton,  an  enterprising  and  energetic 
business  man  from  Philadephia,  who  immediately  set  about  to  ex- 
tend the  business  and  increase  the  trade.  In  1868  he  introduced  the 
stone  in  the  Philadelphia  market,  and  about  the  same  time  in  Balti- 
more, Md.,  yearly  increasing  the  output,  which  went  to  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore  and  all  the  larger  towns  in  Pennsylvania.* 

The  panic  of  1873  adversely  affected  the  business,  after  which 
time,  some  of  the  stockholders  were  not  disposed  to  invest  and  en- 

*Dr.  Julien  in  a  paper  before  the  New  York  Academy  of  Science  in  1883  (page 
222  trans.),  says:  "In  addition  to  the  varieties  of  brownstone  already  described 
there  is  one  quite  recently  introduced  into  this  city  (New  York)  from  Hummels- 
town, Pennsylvania,  in  a  building  on  Fifth  Avenue,  above  Forty-first  street.  It 
has  been  largely  used  in  Philadelphia  and  is  said  to  resist  the  weather  well 
4  A -22  -96 


50  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

large  the  plant  and  increase  the  business,  as  others  thought  should  be 
done;  so,  in  1877  Allen  Walton  and  Philip  Dougherty,  who  jointly 
owned  about  one-half  the  stock,  purchased  at  sale  the  entire 
plant,  real  and  persona,!,  operating  the  quarries  under  the  name  of 
the  Hummel  stown  Brown-Stone  Company,  and  set  about  further  to 
extend  the  business.  They  furnished  the  stone  used  in  the  new  build- 
ing erected  by  the  Government  for  the  Bureau  of  Printing  and 
Engraving,  and  a  number  of  other  buildings  in  Washington,  I).  C. 
In  the  same  year  a  market  was  opened  in  Richmond,  Va,  In  1881 
Allen  Walton  purchased  Mr.  Dougherty's  interest  in  the  quarries 
and  individually  continued  to  operate  them  under  the  name  of 
nummelstown  Brown-Stone  Company,  selling  stone  in  the  New  York 
market  in  1882,  Cleveland,  O.,  in  1883,  Chicago,  111.,  in  1885,  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  in  1886,  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  in  1887,  and  Orlando,  Fla.,  in  188S, 
thus  largely  extending  the  trade  and  giving  the  stone  a  wide  reputa- 
tion. In  1886  he  built  a  railroad  four  miles,  connecting  the  quarries 
with  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  Railroad  at  Brownstone  Station, 
on  that  line,  and  in  the  same  year  built  a  saw-mill  at  the  quarries, 
abandoning  the  old  mill  which  was  located  at  Humineistown.  In 
1891  he  deemieid  it  advisable  to  incorporate  the  Hummelstown  Brown- 
Stone  Company  and  to  separate  it  from  the  railroad,  and  incorporate 
that  as  the  Brownstone  and  Middletown  Railroad,  of  both  of  which 
companies  he  is  the  president.  The  active  management  of  the  stone 
business  is  now  largely  in  the  hands  of  his  two  sons,  although  the 
elder  Mr.  Walton  remains  president  of  the  company.  The  several 
quarries  are  equipped  with  thirty  steam  derricks,  one  heavy  capacity 
steam  shovel,  three  steam  cable  hoists,  and  a  complete  line  of  steam 
drills,  quarry  bars  and  other  quarrying  tools.  The  mill  and  stone 
dressing  shops  are  extensive,  containing  13  gangs  of  saws,  14  stone 
planers  and  stone  lathes.  The  hoisting  about  the  mill  and  shop 
is  done  by  two  heavy  capacity  steam  traveling  cranes,  running  back 
and  forth  on  trestle  work.  From  500  to  700  men  are  employed  ;il 
times,  the  number  increasing  with  increased  orders. 

The  plant  further  consists  of  machine,  carpenter  and  blacksmith 
shops,  all  fitted  out  with  a  full  line  of  tools  and  machines. 

The  railroad  consists  of  a  line,  as  before  stated,  with  extensive 
sidings  at  Brownstone  and  at  the  quarries  and  is  equipped  with 
four  locomotives,  three  passenger  coaches  and  thirty-four  cars,  used 
principally  for  transferring  stone  from  the  quarries  to  the  mills  and 
shops. 

The  capacity  of  the  quarries  is  practically  unlimited,  having 
Uways  been  able  to  meet  every  demand,  and  being  able  to  supply 
any  size  or  quantity  of  stone  ordered,  one  reason  for  the  increased 
trade  being  the  promptness  and  certainty  with  which  all  orders  are 
filled,  which  means  a  great  deal  with  contractors. 


t ones  ot  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  VII. 


Entrance  to  Engineering  r.uildin;.',  State  College,  Pa.     Showing   the  use 
of  Hnnimelstown  brownstone  in  doorways. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  51 

Structure  of  the  Hummelstown  stone.  -  -  The  strata  in  and 
about  the  quarries  all  dip  about  40  to  45  degrees  to*  the 
north,  thus  giving  the  strike  or  the  line  of  out-crop  an 
east-west  direction.  The  separate  layers  vary  from  20  inches  to  20 
feet  or  more  in  thickness.  While  the  bedding  planes  are  not  abund- 
ant, and  where  they  do  occur  are  not  conspicuous  open  seams,  yet 
there  is  throughout  the  bed  an  easy  cleavage  parallel  with  the  bed- 
ding on  which  the  layers  can  be  readily  split  into  any  thickness  de- 
sired. These  seams  are  more  abundant  near  the  out-crop  and  least 
so  in  the  bottom  of  the  quarry.  The  joint  seams  in  these  quarries 
are  not  numerous  and  not  very  regular.  There  are  are  a  few  incipi- 
ent cracks  due  to  the  bending  or  folding  of  the  strata. 

The  total  thickness  of  the  stone  is  not  known.  Including  the  con- 
glomerate, sandisttome  and  thte  shales  there  is  certainly  not  less  than 
several  hundred,  probably  several  thousand  feef.  The  greatest  thick- 
ness of  good  quality  of  brownstone  at  one  place  is  about  50  feet,  as 
shown  in  nearly  all  the  quarries  of  this  company.  But  while  this  50 
f  eiet  is  immediately  underlain  and  overlain  by  red  shale  and  conglom- 
erate good  stone  is  known  to  occur,  both  above  and  below  the  bed 
quarried.  .  In  fact,  one  of  the  quarries  is  in  layers  that  underlie  those 
in  thle  other  quarries,  and  the  Pennsylvania  Brownstone  quarry  to 
the  north  is  in  overlying  layers  with  out-crop  of  good,  stone  between. 
Thus  the  supply  of  good  stone  is  practically  unlimited.  The  only 
question  is  the  economic  production  of  it,  which  question  the  com- 
pany has  answered  successfully  so  far. 

There  is  a  possibility,  of  course,  of  east-west  faults  causing  a  repe- 
tition of  the  same  layers  in  successive  out-crops,  but  there  is  no 
evidence  in  favor  of  this  theory,  not  even  in  the  character  of  the 
rocks  in  different  places. 

Texture  of  the  Hummelstoion  stone.  —  The  stone  varies 
somewhat  in  texture,  there  being  fissile  red  shale,  tine 
grained  sandstone  and  both  shale  and  quartz  conglomerate,  but 
there  is  not  such  an  intermingling  or  gradation  of  these  one  into  an- 
other as  is  noticeable  in  some  brownstone  regions.  The  series 
alternate  but  rarely  mix,  except  in  some  places  where  there  is  a 
mingling  of  the  shale  fragments  with  the  sandstone.  There  are  heavy 
layers  of  coarse  quartz  pebbles  in  the  series,  but  the  little  patcnes  or 
thin  bands  of  pebbles  running  through  the  good  stone  as  observed  in 
some  localities  do  not  occur  here.  The  first-'class  stone  is  an  even  fine 
grained  stone,  remarkably  uniform  both  in  texture  and  color,  proba- 
bly unsurpassed  in  this  property  by  any  brownstone  in  the  United 
States,  certainly  not  by  any  that  occurs  in  similar  large  quantities, 
so  far  as  observed  by  the  writteir.  One  of  the  greatest  defects  in  the 
majority  of  brownstone  deposits  is  the  lack  of  uniformity  in  either 
color  or  texture  or  both. 


52  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  RE-PORT  off.   Doc. 

The  texture  of  the  Hummelstown  stone  is  close,  the  grain  fine, 
and  it  will  take  a  very  smooth  finish.  While  the  actual  absorption 
of  the  stone  is  not  much  below  the  average,  the  pores  are  small  and 
the  dressed  surface  smooth. 

Color. — There  are  two  decided  shades  of  color  in  the  stone  from  the 
different  quarries.  The  most  abundant  shade  and  one  that  comes  from 
all  but  one  of  the  quarries  is  a  reddish  brown,  a  brighter,  warmer 
shade  than  the  average  New  England  stone,  but  not  so-  bright  as 
one  variety  of  the  Michigan  (Portage  Entry)  stone  or  the  English 
red  stone,  more  nearly  resembling  the  East  Longineadow  (Massachu- 
setts) stone  in  color  than  any  other  now  in  mind.  It  is  among  the 
darkest  colored  ones  in  this  State,  those  further  east  being  almost  all 
lighter  colored,  except  that  at  Mohnsville  and  Firog  Hollow.  The 
other  shade  of  the  Hummelstown  stone,  a  purplish  brown,  which 
comes  from  their  quarry  No.  3,  harmonizes  viery  well  with  the  redder 
tint  and  buildings  with  the  lower  part  of  the  purple  stone  and  the 
upper  part  of  the  red  stone,  present  a  very  nice  appearance.  In 
fact,  either  shade  would  make  a  nice  trimming  for  the  other. 

Composition.  —  The  two  analyses  given  below  show  the 
chemiical  composition  of  the  stone.  The  first  one  was  mad<»  in  the 
chemical  laboratory  at  State  College,  the  second  in  the  chemical 
laboratory  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey. 

Chemical  analyses  of  Hummelstown  Broivnstone. 

1  2 

Per  cent.  Per  cent. 

Silica  (SiO2), 90.341  88.13 

Alumina  (A12O3), 4.350  5.81 

Ferric  Oxide  (Fe2O3), 1 . 093  1 . 77 

Ferrous  Oxide  (FeO), 749  .31 

Lime  (CaO), 953  .20 

Magnesia  (MgO), 167  .53 

Soda  (Na,O), 188  .06 

Potash  K2O),  ; 1 .299  2.63 

Water, 612  .49 


Total, 99.744  99.93 

Microscopical  character  of  the  Hummelstown  stone.—  The  micro- 
scope shows  it  to  be  a  stone  made  up  lairgely  of  small  angular 
(for  the  most  part)  quartz  grains  and  numerous  angular  to  sub- 
angular  grains  of  feldspar  in  a  cement  of  clay  and  iron  oxide.  The 
feldspar  is  much  decayed  and  less  abundant  than  in  the  stones  far- 
ther east  in  the  State  or  in  the  more  eastern  States.  The  grains 
appear  to  be  pretty  regularly  diffused  through  the  cement,  with  no 
pronounced  lamination  of  the  coarser  and  finer  grains  into  separate 
layers  or  directing  the  longest  diameters  of  the  grains  in  the  same  di- 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE. 

Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  X. 


Microscopic  sections  of  Humraelstown  browustone,  magnified  44  diameters. 

F  signifies  feldspar  ;  cross-lined  areas  aggregates  of  clay,  fineq-artz,  and  iron  oxide  ;  mostly 

clay  ;  very  dark  shading  iron  oxide ;  colorless  areas  quartz. 
No.  i— Pennsylvania  Browastone  Co.'s  quarry. 
No.  2— Swatara  quarry  hard  quartzose  sandstone. 
No.'s  4,  5,  7,  and  8  Hummelstown  Brownstone  Co.'s  quarry. 
No.  3 — An  enlarged  portion  of  a  quartzose  area  from  another  part  of  No.  5. 
No,  6 — A  less  magnified  portion,  showing  a  larger  area  of  No.  5. 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT 


Off.   Doc. 


rection,  thus  giving  the  stone  a  freestone  rather  than  a  flagstone 
character.  The  cement  consists  of  clay  mixed  with  iron  oxide,  the 
iron  oxide  appearing  to  be  segregated  in  only  a  few  places  and  there 
in  but  small  particles.  It  is  for  the  most  part  diffused  t-hrougftii  the 
clay  in  a  very  finely  divided  state  and  partially  coating  the  grains  in 
very  thin  pellicle.  This  would  indicate  that  the  iron  was  deposited 
simultaneously  with  the  sand  and  clay,  and  that  it  has  been  modified 
very  little  since  that  time. 

The  figures  on  the  accompanying  plate  (Plate  X)  are  traced  from 
the  different  parts  of  the  sections  viewed  in  the  microscope  (see  also 
Nos.  4,  5  and  6  on  Plate  1.)  No.  6  is  magnified  20  diameters,  the 
others  44  diameters,  drawn  double  the  size  and  reduced.  No.  3  is 
an  exceptionally  quartzose  spot,  looking  almost  as  if  there  had  bo<>n 
secondary  quartz  deposited  among  the  grains.  However,  it  may  be 
but  a  shattered  piece  of  quartz  or  a  fragment  of  quartzite  a  little' 
larger  than  the  one  shown  on  Plate  1. 

Crushing  tests  of  the  Hummelstown  brownstone  from  the  quarries  of 
the  Hummelstown  Brown- Stone  Co. 


-  a) 

JO 

ff.  % 

1 

tO 

•a 

i 

P 

o 
c 

c 

3 

1 

- 

0 

e, 

be 
c 

"I 

Authority. 

ej 

M. 

"^ 

g 

o 

ti 

1 

2 

o 

If 

2  c  ,-• 

S 

i 

e 

i! 

pi 

£ 

^ 

k 

H 

° 

1 

6.92 

101,000 

116,600 

16,850 

U.  R.  Government.   Watertown  Arsenal,  1897. 

2 

6.92 

56,000 

88,700 

12,818 

U.  S.  Government,   Watertown  Arsenal,  3S97. 

3 

6.73 

74,000 

98,200 

14,597 

U.  S.  Government.   Watertown  Arsenal,  1897. 

14,753 

Average  of  the  Watertown  tests. 

4 

7.13 

103,600 

104,236 

14,619 

Rose   Polytech.    Inst.,    Terre    Haute,    Ind.,    1897. 

5 

6.94 

101,800 

102,447 

14,761 

Rose   Polytech.    Inst.,    Terre   Haute,    Ind.,    1897. 

6 

7.26 

91,334 

94,528 

12,580 

Rose   Polytech.    Inst.,    Terre    Haute,    Ind.,    1897. 

14,000 

Average   Terre   Haute   tests. 

7 

6.80 

100,240 

14,  740 

Riehle  Bros.,   Philadelphia,   Pa.,   1897. 

g 

6.80 

93,840 

13,800 

Riehle  Bros.,    Philadelphia,    Pa.,   1897. 

9 

6.80 

96,(X30 

14.120 

Riehle  Bros.,    Philadelphia.   Pa.,   1897. 

10 

6.80 

100,  500 

14,780 

Riehle  Bros.,    Philadelphia,   Pa.,   1897. 

14,360 

Average  Riehle  Bros,  tests  of  quarry  No.  3  stone. 

11 

7.04 

70,660 

10,090 

Riehle  Bros.      Philadelphia,    Pa.,    1897. 

12 

7.04 

87  100 

12  440 

Riehle   Bros       Philadelphia     Pa.     1897. 

13 

7.04 

79!  040 

ll!290 

Riehle   Bros!      Philadelphia!    Pa.,    1897. 

14 

7.04 

71,100 

10,160 

Riehle   Bros.      Philadelphia,    Pa.,    1897. 

11,100 

Average  Riehle  Bros,   tests,   quarry  No.   4. 

15 

9.  375 

122  000 

13  010 

Riehle  Bros.     Philadelphia,    Pa.,    1890. 

16 

9,178 



122,000 

13,290 

Riehle  Bros.     Philadelphia,    Pa.,    1890. 

17 

9,371 

121,800 

12  990 

Riehle  Bros.     Philadelphia,    Pa.,    1890. 

is!  loo 

Average  Riehle  Bros,   tests,    1890. 

13,460 

Average    of   all    the    tests    on   the    Hummelstown 

stone. 

14,370 

Average    of   all    the    tests    on   the    Hummelstown 

stone,    quarry  No.   3. 

The  crushing  strength  of  thle  Hummelstown  stone,  as  shown  on  the 
accompanying  table,  is  above  the  average  for  sandstones,  standing 
intermediate  between  the  common  sandstone  and  the  quartzite. 


PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   OOLLKGK.  &5 

In  a  list  of  tests  on  62  specimens  of  the  best  known  sandstones  of 
the  United  States,  including  brownstones,  given  by  General  Gillmore 
in  1875,;  tore  are  17  with  a  strength  below  6,000;  43  below  9,000 
and  49  below  10,000  pounds  per  square  inch. 

The  specific  gravity  as  determined  in  the  laboratory  at  State  Col- 
lege is  2.66,  equivalent  to  a  weight  of  166.1  pounds  per  cubic  foot. 
The  specific  gravity  as  given  by  Julienf  is  2.35,  equal  to  146  pounds 
per  cubic  foot.  A  carefully  dressed  six-inch  cube  of  the  purple  stone 
weighed  18  1-4  pounds,  equal  to  146  pounds  per  foot,  which  is  practi- 
cally the  weight  of  the  seasoned  stone  as  it  goes  into  the  wall.  A 
cube  of  the  red-brown  stone  sihowed  150  pounds  pen  cubic  foot,  which 
is  the  weight  used  by  the  company. 

Durability. — There  are  several  reasons  for  thinking  that  the  Hum 
melstown  brownstone  is  one  of  the  most  durable  brownstones  on 
the  market.  BotJh!  the  chemical  and  mineralogical  composition  leave 
little  to  be  desired  in  that  line.  The  rock  is  composed  of  fine  angular 
quartz  grains  with  a  very  little  undecomposed  feldspar  in  a  cement 
of  clay  and  iron  oxide.  The  relatively  small  quantity  of  the  feldtepar 
is  shown  both  by  direct  examination  in  the  microscope  and  by  infer- 
ence from  the  chemical  analyses  indicated  by  thle  small  percentage  of 
alkalies  and  lime  (see  p.  13).  Clay,  one  of  the  chief  residues  from  the 
decaying  feldspar,  in  itself  is  one  of  the  most  durable  of  substances, 
but  if  present  in  large  quantities  in  a  rock  with  other  constituents, 
is  a  source  of  disintegration  by  its  property  of  absorbing  water, 
which  freezes  and  crumbles  the  rock.  This  is  worse  where  the  clay 
is  segregated  in  patches  and  layers.  Outside  of  this  property  it 
makes  one  of  the  best  cements  for  sandstone,  especially  when  mixed 
with  iron  oxide,  because  it  binds  the  grains  with  sufficient  firm- 
ness to  make  a  strong  rock,  and  yet  not  so  firmly  as  to  make  it 
difficult  to  cut,  saw,  or  break.  The  quartz  cement  is  the  most  dur- 
able of  all,  but  it  makes  the  rock  too  hard  for  tool  work.  Lime 
cement  is  likewise  too  hard.  So  the  only  theoretical  improvement 
that  could  be  made  in  the  chemical  composition  of  the  Hummels- 
town  stone  would  be  to  have  all  of  the  feldspar  changed  to  clay 
with  the  removal  of  all  the  alkalies  and  possibly  a  part  of  the 
clay.  Yet  the  clay  could  not  be  decreased  to  any  considerable  ex- 
tent without  making  the  stone  friable  unless  there  was  something 
else  substituted. 

With  the  exception  of  the  natural  outcrops,  I  have  never  seen 
any  disintegration,  scaling,  or  cracking  of  the  Hummelstown  stone, 
nor  has  inquiry  among  architects  or  stone  dealers  revealed  any.  As 
the  quarries  are  not  so  old  as  the  more  eastern  ones,  it  is  difficult 
to  make  a  comparison  with  them  in  this  respect.  The  conditions, 
however,  are  these,  that  there  are  a  great  many  brownstone  fronts 

*Appendix  to  Annual  Report,  Chief  of  Eng.,  U.  S.  A.,  1875. 
Trans.  N.  Y.  Acad.  of  Scl.,  April  1--30.  1883. 


56  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

in  Philadelphia,  New  York  and  other  eastern  cities  built  of  eastern 
brownstone  which  are  disintegrating  and  scaling  badly,  most  con- 
spicuously so  in  the  porches  and  courses  next  to  the  ground.  So 
far  as  known  to  the  writer  there  are  none  such  of  the  Hummelstown 
stone.  However,  investigation  has  not  been  thorough  enough  on 
this  line  to  say  that  there  are  none,  nor  to  say  that  of  those  that 
are  disintegrating  none  was  built  of  stone  which  had  been  quarried 
since  the  Hummelstown  quarries  have  been  opened.  It  is  not  in- 
tended to  state  that  all  of  the  Hummelstown  stone  that  has  ever 
been  used  remains  firm  and  uninjured,  but  simply  to  state  that  none 
of  it  observed  or  found  on  inquiry  by  the  writer  was  scaling  or 
disintegrating.  Nevertheless,  the  evidence  in  this  line  combined  with 
a  comparison  of  the  texture  and  composition  is  sufficient  to  guarantee 
the  assertion  that  the  Hummelstown  stone  is  more  durable  than  most 
of  that  used  in  brownstone  fronts  in  New  York,  and  that  none  of 
the  other  brownstones  in  the  market  of  this  country,  so  far  as  known 
to  the  writer,  that  are  as  easily  worked  as  the  Hummelstown  stone 
are  any  more  durable. 

It  is  stated  that  the  Hummelstown  stone  when  first  introduced  into 
the  Philadelphia  market  in  18f>8  was  used  by  the  architects  princi- 
pally for  the  base-courses  of  buildings  built  of  New  England  brown- 
stone.  They  at  that  time  thought  it  was  too  hard  to  dress  for  trim- 
mings or  face  work,  but  could  be  used  for  base-courses,  as  they 
supposed  it  to  be  more  durable  than  the  eastern  brownstone,  which 
was  even  then  crumbling  badly. 

The  10th  census  report,*  commenting  on  this  stone,  says:  "The 
Hummelstown  brownstone,  the  hardest  and  most  compact  of  all 
these  brownstones,  has  been  introduced  here  (Philadelphia)  within 
the  last  fifteen  years,  and  is  used  principally  for  trimmings  in  build- 
ings of  other  stones  and  in  brick  buildings,  giving  a  very  pleasing 
effect.  This  stone  as  yet  shows  no  evidence  of  disintegration  in  any 
of  the  buildings  in  which  it  has  been  used,  and  has  the  reputation 
here  of  being  quite  substantial  and  durable." 

Inquiries  were  made  of  a  number  of  leading  architects  in  different 
cities  and  those  that  replied  without  exception  spoke  highly  of 
the  durability  of  the  Hummelstown  stone. 

The  oldest  building  known  to  be  constructed  of  the  Hummelstown 
stone  is  a  farm  building,  the  Berst  house,  near  the  quarry,  erected 
in  1800,  in  which  the  stone  shows  no  sign  of  decay  nor  discolora- 
tion, but  is  apparently  as  strong  and  bright  as  when  first  laid.  (See 
plate  2.)  Another  building  nearly  as  old  was  observed  at  Hockers- 
ville,  and  there  are  no  doubt  others  in  the  vicinity. 

The  Quarries. — The  company  is  now  operating  at  three  different 
points,  not  widely  separated,  known  by  numbers  as  Quarry  No.  1, 
No.  3  and  No.  4.  The  No.  2  opening  has  been  abandoned,  as  have 

"Tenth  Census,  1880,  Vol.  X,  Building-  Stone,  pagre  343. 


Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  XI. 


Library,   Mount  Holly,  Pa. 


Westminster  Presbyterian  Church.  Harrisburg,   Pa.     Shoving  the  use  of  Huniraels- 
town  brownstone  in  public  buildings. 


"Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  XII. 


Governor's  Mansion,   Harrisburg,    Pa.     Showing  use  of   Hiinimrlstown   In-own  -tone 

in   fronts. 


PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  57 

several  smaller  openings  on  the  hill  north  of  No.  2.  Quarries  No. 
1  and  No.  3  are  on  the  same  ledge  of  rocks,  and  while  at  one  time 
they  were  separate  openings,  intervening  material  has  been  worked 
out,  and  they  now  form  one  opening  about  250  yards  long  and  said 
to  be  165  feet  deep  at  the  deepest  point,  No.  1  at  the  west  end  and 
No.  3  at  the  east  end.  The  company  does  not  contemplate  any 
deeper  workings  at  present,  but  are  extending  it  laterally  by  work- 
ing at  each  end. 

The  strata  dip  40  to  45  degrees  to  the  north,  thus  the  strike  along 
which  the  quarry  opening  extends  runs  nearly  due  east  and  west. 
As  the  opening  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  hill,  the  thickness  of  the 
over-burden  increases  rapidly  with  the  depth  of  the  quairry. 

The  stone,  which  is  about  fifty  feet  thick,  is  overlain  by  a  heavy 
bed  of  red  shale,  mixed  with  conglomerate  and  streaks  of  sandstone. 
In  some  places  it  is  underlain  with  red  shale  or  a  shaly  sandstone, 
in  some  places  by  a  soft  conglomerate  and  in  one  place  near  the 
middle  of  the  quarry  an  opening  ihas  been  made  through  two  or  three 
feet  of  this  conglomerate  into  10  feet  or  more  of  good  brownstone. 
The  possibilities  in  this  direction  are  inviting.  The  valuable  stone  in 
quarry  No.  4  is  taken  from  ledges  that  underlie  those  in  Nos.  1  and 
3.  There  are  evidences  of  good  stone  still  lower,  and  there  is  cer- 
tainly good  stone  overlying  the  layers  in  the  quarry,  so  that  the 
bed  worked  in  the  quarry  (Nos.  1  and  3)  is  but  one  of  a  series.  As  the 
strata  change  in  character  from  point  to  point,  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
with  certainty  what  will  be  the  economic  character  of  the  layers  at 
any  point  until  they  are  examined.  So  that  the  company,  after  ex- 
hausting the  deposits  at  the  present  quarries,  may  find  good  stone 
in  the  under-lying  layers  so  close  that  it  might  be  worked  more 
cheaply  from  the  present  quarry  floor,  than  from  a  new  opening. 

The  upper  part  of  the  accompanying  plate  (Plate  VI)  is  a  view 
taken  in  quarry  No.  1,  showing  the  disposition  of  the  strata  and  tlie 
shape  of  the  opening,  the  character  of  the  overlying  material  and  the 
bedding  and  jointing  of  the  rook. 

Quarry  No.  4  is  in  active  operation  at  present.  It  lies  about  200 
yards  southwest  of  No.  1  in  a  lower  series  of  strata,  and  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  valley,  as  there  is  a  small  lateral  ravine  from  the 
southeast  at  this  point,  it  is  on  the  northeast  point  of  the  ridge. 
There  is  about  the  same  amount  of  stripping  as  in  quarry  No.  1,  but 
the  overlying  material  differs  in  character,  consisting  almost  entirely 
of  conglomerate  and  sandstone,  with  very  little  shale.  There  is 


APPEND]  X— A  N  X  f  A I ,    II K  PO RT 


Off.    Doe. 


about  the  same  thickness  of  good  stone  exposed  as  in  the  other 
quarries,  with  a  better  prospect  of  good  stone  underneath  the  quarry 
floor.  The  accompanying  figure  (Fig.  2)  is  a  general  sketch  across 


v^:^£vf^K  *Vrfe 


Fig.  2.— Vertical  section  across  quarry  No.  4.  A,  good  brownstone  thickness  not 
known;  B,  shaly  brownstone ;  C,  good  quality  red-brown  stone ;  D,  second  and 
third  quality  stone  contains  soft  spots;  E,  pebbly  sandstone;  F,  coarse  conglomer- 
ate; G,  uniform  sandstone;  H,  I,  red  shale  and  shaly  sandstone;  J,  brownstone 
weathered  ;  K,  brownstone  much  disintegrated.  N— S  railroad. 

the  west  face  of  the  quarry  It  shows  the  character  of  the  rock  ex- 
posed, the  angle  of  inclination  of  the  strata  and  the  size  and  shape  of 
the  quarry  opening.  The  railway  track  runs  at  the  level  of  the  black 
line  connecting  with  the  other  tracks  and  the  dump. 

The  methods  of  quarrying  are  adapted  to  the  position  and  char- 
acter of  the  stone.  As  may  be  seen  from  the  position  of  the  strata, 
the  channeling  machine  could  not  be  used  to  advantage.  The  steam 
drill  and  quarry  bar  are  used  with  the  Knox  blasting  system  to  loosen 
the  stone  in  the  quarry.  It  is  then  lifted  by  a  steam  hoist  on  <m<- 
of  the  numerous  large  derricks  or  on  one  of  the  large  wire  cableways 
to  the  car,  where  it  is  transferred  to  the  yard  for  scrabbling  or  to  the 
mill  to  be  sawed,  planed,  or  turned  into  the  desired  form.  The 
stripping  and  waste  of  the  quarry  are  loaded  into  large  dirt  boxes 
and  lifted  by  derrick  or  oableway  to  the  cars  on  the  railway  track 
and  thence  transported  to  the  dump  pile.  Where  the  stripping  con 
sists  of  loose  material  its  removal  is  facilitated  by  the  use  of  a 
large  steam  shovel.  The  company  has  spared  no  expense  in  equip- 
ping the  quarry  with  the  most  modern  machinery  for  the  rapid 
quarrying  and  handling  of  the  stone. 

The  stone  after  it  is  prepared  for  the  market  is  loaded  aboard  the 
railway  car  at  the  mill  or  the  yard,  the  fine  cut  stone  being  packed  in 
shavings,  and  transferred  by  the  company's  engine  over  their  own 
track  to  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  Railway  at  Brownstone  sta- 
ti-n. 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  59 

One  <aii  appreciate  the  growth  of  the  stone  industry  at  Waltonville 
by  observing  the  fores!  of  derricks,  the  numerous  railway  (racks  to 
the  different  openings  and  different  parts  of  the  yards,  the  well 
equipped  mill  with  its  many  workmen  and  nuasis  of  machinery,  the 
locomotives  moving  about  the  yards,  the  clatter  of  the  steam  drills, 
the  creaking  of  the  steam  hoists  and  the  multitude  of  workmen 
scattered  about  the  premises  and  then  look  at  the  old  road  wagon 
rapidly  crumbling  to  pieces  near  Brownstone  station  and  hear  that 
all  the  stone  shipped  from  Waltonville  was  at  one  time  hauled  on 
this  old  wagon. 

The  stone  has  been  used  in  nearly  all  the  large  cities  of  eastern 
and  central  United  States,  and  in  many  of  the  smaller  ones.  Phila- 
delphia. New  York,  Washington  and  Baltimore  are  the  largest  mar- 
kets. The  stone  has  been  used  in  some  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
Washington.  It  has  also  been  used  extensively  for  bridges,  piers  and 
abutments.  It  is  adapted  to  buildings  of  all  kinds,  and  may  be  used 
alone  or  in  combination  with  brick  or  other  building  stone.  Some 
of  its  varied  uses  and  its  adaptability  in  architieicture  a>re  shown  in 
the  accompanying  illustrations,  which  show  iai  few  of  the  many  build- 
ings in  which  the  stone  is  used.  A  list  of  the  more  important  build- 
ings constructed  wholly  or  in  part  of  this  stone  is  contained  in  the 
general  list  on  pages  .'>!)  to  44. 

The  Pennsylvania  Brownstone  quarry — The  Pa.  Brownstone  £k>., 
Limited,  was  incorporated  in  the  fall  of  1886  by  Samuel  Fox,  Wm. 
( I  Erb  and  Edwin  B.  Erb,  who  leased  property  and  opened  a  quarry 
on  the  north  side  of  the  hill,  about  two  miles  south  of  Hurnmels- 
town,  the  neairlasit  railway  point,  and  half  a  mile  o»r  more  no,rth  of 
Waltonville.  They  built  a  stone  mill  at  Hummelstowu  and  invested 
a  large  sum  of  money  in  developing  the  quarry,  and  while  consider- 
able stone  was  shipped,  the  business  proved  unprofitable,  possibly 
because  of  the  large  quantity  of  waste  material  to  be  handled  and  the 
long  haul  to  the  railway.  In  the  fall  of  1890  they  sold  their  mill, 
qua,rry  equipment,  and  lleiase  to  the  Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Co., 
who  later  purchased  the  land.  It  has  not  been  worked  since  tfh'at 
time. 

This  quarry  is  near  the  north  limit  of  the  brownstone  belt,  arid  the 
strata  still  have  the  northerly  dtp  as  in  the  other  quarries.  Yet  it 
varies  to  some  extent  from  that  in  the  quarries  further  south,  the 
dip  being  not  so  steep  and  inclining  more  to  the  west,  25  to  35 
degrees  N.,  20  dbgrees  W.,  but  not  uniform.  The  thickness  of  the 
brownstone  in  the  opening  is  about  50  feet  and  the  opening  is  80 
feet  or  more  in  depth  and  about  60x100  ya,rd)s  in  area.  The  stone 
is  badly  weathered  to  a  depth  of  20  or  25  feet,  and  contains  many  ir- 
regular seams  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  bed.  The  rock  oc- 
curs in  regular  beds  10  to  20  feet  thick,  but  the  presence  of  the  seams 


60  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

or  cracks  in  different  directions  through  the  rock  causes  considerable 
waste  in  quarrying  the  stone  into  rectangular  blocks  for  dimension 
stone.  Occasionally  thin  streaks  of  brown  shale  occur  between  the 
layers,  and  there  is  a  little  cross-bedding  and  ripple  marks  in  places. 
The  microscope  shows  it  to  be  made  up  of  sharply  angular  quartz 
grains,  with  chert  fragments  and  an  admixture  of  clay  and  iron 
oxides.  There  is  a  greater  proportion  of  iron  oxide  and  less  of  the 
clay  than  that  examined  from  the  quarries  further  south. 

The  quarry  being  on  the  north  side  of  the  hill,  with  the  north  dip 
to  the  rocks,  there  is  not  the  constantly  increasing  thickness  of  the 
overlying  material  as  in  the  quarries  on  the  south  side  of  the  hill. 
However,  the  rock  is  more  fractured  and  apparently  weathered 
deeper  than  on  the  south  side.  Unless  there  is  good  stone  under- 
lying that  exposed  in  the  quarry  it  is  questionable  if  first-class  brown- 
stone  could  be  quarried  as  economically  here  as  in  the  quarries  on 
the  south  side  of  the  hill. 

Light  colored  brownstone  of  good  quality  outcrops  in  the  soil  in 
various  places  on  the  hill  between  the  Pennsylvania  quarry  and  the 
Hmnmelstown  Brown-Stone  Co.'s  quairriies,  and  future  investigation 
may  develop  extensive  quarries  in  this  locality. 

The  Co-operative  Broionstone  Co.  has  made  a  small  opening  about 
one-half  mile  northeast  of  the  mill  of  the  Huminelstown  Brown-Stone 
Co.,  in  which  there  is  a  nice  light  reddish  brownstone  exposed,  but 
the  opening  is  too  small  (20-25  feet  deep)  to  show  anything  about 
the  quantity  of  good  stone.  So  far  as  it  is  opened  the  stone  is  in 
small  dimensions,  beitfg  much  broken  by  numerous  irregular  seams 
and  much  disintegrated  near  the  surface.  So  far  as  known  to  the 
writer,  no  stone  has  been  shipped  from  this  opening.  It  is  not 
in  operation  at  present  (1896). 

The  Stoverdale  Brownstone  Co.  in  the  fall  of  1895  made  a  small 
opening  alongside  the  public  road  about  one-half  mile  south  of  west 
of  the  Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Co.'s  quarry  No.  4.  The  work 
ceased  after  a  small  quantity  of  the  stone  was  shipped.  The  opening 
is  not  large  enough  to  show  how  extensive  the  deposit  of  good  stone 
may  ba  .  The  strata  dip  47  degrees  N.  15  degrees  W.  in  one  place,  but 
the  dip  is  not  uniform.  There  is  a  thickness  of  10  feet  of  fairly  bright 
rolored  brownstone  overlain  by  several  inches  of  brown  shale  fol- 
lowed by  weathered  brownstone  shelly  and  full  of  seams.  Under 
lying  the  10  feet  of  good  stone  is  other  brownstone  shelly  and  seamy 
so  far  as  exposed.  At  a  greater  depth  these  weathered  seams  are 
liable  to  disappear,  at  least  in  part,  and  the  stone  become  more 
solid,  but  whether  the  quality  would  be  first  grade  and  whether  it 
could  be  removed  with  profit  could  only  be  determined  by  further 
investigation. 

There  are  a  number  of  old  openings  along  the  hill  southeast  of 
the  Stoverdale  quarry  said  to  have  been  made  by  a  Mr.  Martin  many 


•I 

* 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE. 


fil 


years  ago.  Brownstone  is  exposed  in  all  of  these  openings,  but  it  is 
all  badly  weathered,  none  of  the  openings  showing  a  sound  stone  of 
value,  yet  some  of  them  indicating  a  possibility  of  obtaining  good 
stone  at  a  greater  depth. 

About  a  mile  south  of  the  Stoverdale  quarry  is  an  opening  known 
as  the  Hummel  Quarry  which  shows  about  10  feet  of  brownstone  of 
a  pleasing  color  and  nice,  even  texture,  but  so  far  as  opened,  contain- 
ing numerous  seams  so  that  much  of  the  stone  would  be  in  small  di- 
mensions. It  could  not  be  ascertained  when  this  quarry  was  operated 
or  how  much  stone  was  removed.  But  it  has  not  been  operated  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  it  is  said  the  principal  reason  for  abandon- 
ment was  the  great  number  of  seams. 

There  is  a  smaller  opening  a  short  distance  west  of  the  main  open- 
ing in  a  mass  of  large  boulders  of  fine  looking  brownstone. 

American  Brownstone  Company. — A  few  hundred  yards  southwest 
of  the  Hummel  quarry  are  two  openings  known  as  the  Warner 
quarry  and  the  Rupp  quarry,  which  were  opened  by  Jones  and  Col- 
lins, under  the  name  of  the  American  Brownstone  Company,  about 
the  spring  of  1890,  and  worked  at  intervals  during  the  two  or  three 
years  following  that  date  since  which  time  they  have  been  idle. 

The  thickness  of  the  good  stone  in  the  Warner  quarry  is  appar- 
ently about  20  feet,  but  as  it  is  inclined  at  a  high  angle,  both  the 
underlying  soft  conglomerate  and  the  overlying  shelly  and  shaly 
sandstone  have  crumbled  and  rolled  down  over  the  good  stone  and 
the  bottom  of  the  hole  is  covered  with  water  concealing  the  greater 
part  of  it.  The  part  exposed  shows  a  stone  of  nice  color  and  text- 
ure. 

In  the  John  Rupp  quarry  while  the  angle  of  the  dip  is  but  little 
different  from  the  other  quarries  in  the  vicinity  the  direction  of  dip 
is  markedly  different,  being  nearly  west  (S  85  degrees  W).  In  the 
Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Oo.'s  quarries  the  dip  is  nearly  north,  in 
all  the  othteirs  it  is  a  few  degrees  west  of  north,  but  in  no  other  does  it 
vary  so  much  from  north  as  in  this  quarry.  The  best  stone  appears 
to  be  in  the  bottom  of  the  quarry,  the  lower  8  to  10  feet,  the  15  to  20 
feet  overlying  containing  many  seams.  A  small  opening  about  fifty 
yards  from  the  large  opening  shows  a  better  quality  of  stone,  but 
only  a  small  quantity  exposed. 

The  Middletown  and  Hummelstown  Company  opened  a  quarry 
on  the  Middletown  and  Hummelstown  railway,  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  northeast  of  Middletown.  The  quarry  was  well  equipped 
with  modern  machinery,  having  a  switch  from  the  railway  into  the 
quarry,  five  large  derricks  and  one  small  one,  with  steam  hoists,  and 
a  mill  equipped  with  two  saw  gangs.  There  is  an  electric  plant  which 
is  said  to  have  been  put  in  after  the  quarry  was  abandoned.  The 
quarry  has  not  been  in  operation  for  a  year  or  more,  but  particulars 
could  not  be  obtained  as  to  when  it  was  opened,  or  how  long  it  was 


62  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.    Doc. 

in  operation,  the  amount  of  stone  produced,  where  shipped,  etc.,  in 
fact  nothing  but  what  could  be  obtained  by  a  visit  to  the  place  and 
observing  the  empty  quarry  and  the  crumbling  machinery. 

The  strata  dip  25  to  30  degrees  N.  60  degrees  W.  with  the  quarry 
opening  on  the  southwest  point  of  the  hill,  the  stone  thus  dipping 
into  the  end  of  a  steep  hill.  There  is  a  thickness  of  about  20  feet 
of  quarry  stone  underlain  by  a  soft,  shaly  sandstone  and  overlain  by 
a  heavy  bed  of  conglomerate,  a  mixture  of  quartz  and  shale  con- 
glomerate. This  conglomerate  is  about  40  feet  thick  on  the  present 
quarry  face  and  would  thicken  very  .rapidly  on  deeper  quarrying.  The 
stone  in  this  quarry  is  softer  than  any  of  the  other  stone  in  this  vi- 
cinity, many  of  the  fragments  lying  about  the  mill  and  quarry  bcin.u 
so  soft  as  to  be  crumbled  and  broken  in  the  hand.  There  are  numer- 
ous spots  of  iron  rust  that  give  the  stone  a  faint  -spotted  appearance 
and  appear  to  be  one  cause  of  the  crumbling  as  the  iron  appears  to  be 
undergoing  some  chemical  change. 

The  Erb  quarry. — About  two  miles  south  of  Swatara  station  .Mr. 
Erb  has  made  a  small  quarry  opening  on  the  northwest  slope  of  the- 
hill,  where  the  strata  dip  about  32  degrees  N.  65  degrees  W.  The 
stone  has  a  nice,  purplish  color,  even  grain  and  texture,  but  is  hard 
and  brittle  ("flinty")  and  contains  many  cracks  and  seams,  particu- 
larly near  the  surface.  At  the  bottom  of  the  opening,  probably  20  feet 
from  the  surface  the  seams  are  fewer  in  number,  yet  still  abundant, 
and  the  rock  continues  brittle  or  "  plucky."  See  plate  X  No.  1  for 
microscopic  view  of  this  stone,  illustrating  its  hard  or  plucky  nature 
in  which  it  will  ble  seen  in  comparison  with  the  Hunimelstown  sit  one 
that  the  quartz  grains  are  more  numerous,  closely  compacted,  with 
very  little  cement.  That  it  is  difficult  to  break  can  be  inferred  from 
a  glance  in  which  one  can  see  that  a  fracture  in  the  rock  must  break 
a  considerable  number  of  quartz  grains  and  pull  others  from  a  closely 
felted  mass  of  its  fellows  while  in  a  free  slone  only  the  cernient  is 
broken,  the  grains  pulling  free  from  the  cement  on  one  side  or  other 
of  the  break. 

The  nature  of  the  stone  and  the  difficulty  in  getting  the  large  di- 
mensions will  probably  prevent  the  extensive  production  of  stone 
at  this  point. 

The  Swatara  quarry  was  opened  by  the  Hartlieb  Bros,  of  Lebanon, 
in  the  spring  of  1894  and  small  quantities  of  stone  have  been  shipped 
from  there  at  intervals  since  that  time.  The  quarry  is  a  mile  or  a 
little  more  west  of  soutli  from  Hockersville  and  near  the  north  limit 
of  the  brownstone  belt.  It  is  about  250  yards  south  of  one  of  the 
large  iron  ore  mines  in  tihe  Trenton  limestone  that  was  worked  ex- 
tensively several  years  ago. 

The  strata  are  disturbed  more  or  less  so  that  the  dip  is  not  uni- 
form, but  in  general  it  dips  to  the  west  and  the  north  of  wesr,  in  one 


Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania* 


Plate  XV. 


Arcade  Building,  Cleveland,  O.,  and  enlarged  view  of  the  entrance. 
Entrance,  piers  and  trimmings  of  Hnmmelstown  brownstone. 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA    STATIC    COLLlM  1  K.  63 

place  rortlnvest  10  degrees.  There  is  about  25  feet  of  solid,  rather 
uniform  browii.stone,  but  it  contains  numerous  siPiains.  It  is  overlain 
b.y  three  i'eet  of  shale  and  soft  sandstone,  followed  by  10  to  15  feet  of 
sandstone  and  shah  conglomerate,  followed  in  turn  by  much  v/eath- 
ded  brownskme  that  may  prow,  to  be  good  stone  at  greater  depths. 
The  quarry  is  not  in  operation  this  year(1896).  Whether  permanently 
or  only  temporarily  abandoned  is  not  known,  letters  of  inquiry  to 
the  company  eliciting  no  response. 

The  Dtrry  quarry  about  two  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of  Hock- 
ersville  was  opened  by  Francis,  Painter  &  Co.,  of  Derry  church,  in 
I  ho  fall  of  1884,  and  operated  by  them  for  four  years,  until  tbe  fall 
of  1888,  when  they  disposed  of  their  equipment  and  abandoned  the 
quarry.  The  quarry  has  not  been  operated  since  1888.  The  strata 
dip  about  20  degrees  N.  65  degrees  W.  and  are  quite  regular  with 
even  bedding  surface.  The  best  stone,  a  beautiful  fine  grained 
brownstone,  is  about  16  feet  thick,  and  is  overlain  by  a  brown  shale 
and  sandstone,  some  of  which  furnishes  good  stone.  The  quarry  was 
fairly  well  equipped  and  worked  rather  extensively  during  the  few 
years  it  was  in  operation,  making  an  opening  about  80  to  100  yards 
long  and  40  yards  wide  at  the  top  and  50  to  60  feet  deep.  The  quarry 
has  been  cut  down  at  one  side  so  that  the  carts  can  go  in  to  haul  out 
stone.  The  other  side  has  a  nearly  perpendicular  face.  The  ston«e 
does  not  differ  greatly  from  the  other  quarries  in  the  region,  being 
a  little  lighter  in  color,  apparently  more  brittle,  and  having  more 
seams. 

The  stone  from  this  quarry  was  hauled  to  the  Philadelphia  and 
Heading  R.  R.,  a  distance  of  about  three  miles,  part  of  the  way  over 
exceedingly  rough  roads,  which  would  certainly  make  a  sad  inroad 
into  the  profits  on  the  stone.  No  particulars  could  be  obtained  re- 
garding the  markets,  uses,  etc.,  of  the  stone  from  this  quarry,  further 
than  the  statement  that  considerable  stone  was  removed  and  shipped 
to  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  York,  Lebanon,  Harrisburg,  and  other 
points. 

Brownstones  of  different  shades  outcrop  in  many  places  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  these  different  quarry  openings,  some  of  which  no  doubt 
is  of  good  quality  and  in  which  good  quarries  might  be  developed. 
However,  as  shown  by  the  numerous  failures  in  the  way  of  aban 
doned  quarries  in  the  region,  the  work  is  attended  with  much  risk, 
and  one  might  make  a  dozen  openings  before  striking  a  deposit  of 
good  stone  of  sufficient  thickness  and  quality  to  be  quarried  with 
profit.  Much  of  the  money  spent  in  the  different  openings  has  been 
squandered  for  the  want  of  a  little  elementary  knowledge  of  geol- 
ogy. It  is  a  pure  waste  of  money  and  time  to  follow  a  layer  of  con- 
glomerate, or  shale,  or  micaceous  stone  into  the  hill,  expecting  it  to 
change  to  good  stone.  WhU^g^jyafire  is  a  possibility  that  it  may  lose 


61  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

some  of  its  conglomerate  character  or  that  it  may  become  less  shaly 
with  depth,  the  chances  are  equally  as  good  for  its  becoming  more 
conglomeratic  or  more  shaly  and  the  possibility  of  an  entire  chang^ 
of  character  to  very  good  stone  within  the  limits  of  a  quarry  face  is 
not  one  in  a  hundred.  The  only  changes  for  improvement  in  the 
quality  of  the  stone  with  depth  that  is  reasonable  to  expect  are 
fewer  seams  and  less  disintegration.  The  exposure  of  the  stone  at 
the  surface  allows  the  weathering  agencies  to  open  the  incipient 
seams  and  some  of  the  constituents  to  crumble,  but  the  fragments 
of  rock  left  in  the  soil  will  not  be  much  unlike  the  rock  at  greater 
depth.  Hence  it  is  pure  waste  of  money  to  make  an  extensive  quar- 
ry opening  in  this  or  any  other  region  without  first  making  a  careful 
examination  of  the  surface  conditions.  Even  then  the  risk  is  great 
enough,  owing  to  the  local  changes  in  the  character  of  the  rock. 

Goldsboro  (Eeehling)  'quarry. — So  fair  ais  commercially  developed, 
the  part  of  the  New  Red  formation  west  of  the  Susquehanna  river  is 
one  of  the  least  productive  parts  of  this  area  in  the  State.  The  red 
shales  and  sandstones  occur  in  a  broad  area,  extending  southwest 
through  Adams  and  York  counties,  but  so  far  as  known  the  only 
quarry  from  which  any  stone  has  been  shipped  is  the  one  near  Golds 
bor<>  described  below,  and  no  others  of  any  considerable  local  value 
could  be  found  by  inquiry  in  a  hasty  trip  into  the  region.  There  was 
no  opportunity  for  a  personal  investigation  of  undeveloped  areas. 

Thiere  is  a  large  brownsrtone  quarry  on  the  Reehling  farm  about 
two  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Goldsboro,  York  county,  that  was 
opened  in  1851  by  Thomas  Symington,  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and 
operated  by  him  until  1856,  when  the  property  was  purchased  by 
George  Betz,  of  Ashland  county,  Ohio.  Mr.  Betz  operated  the 
quarry  for  a  few  years,  and  J.  H.  Killwell  followed  him  for  a  short 
time.  August  20th,  1869,  the  quarry  was  leased  by  Prazer  &  Reeh 
ling,  who  were  succeeded  in  the  next  April  by  the  late  O.  F.  Reeh- 
ling, who  operated  the  quarry  continuously  until  1880,  when  it  was 
leased  by  the  Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Company,  and  has  been 
idle  since  that  date. 

The  nearest  railway  point  to  the  quarry  is  Goldsboro,  a  station  on 
the  Northern  Central  railroad,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Susquehanna 
river,  about  ten  miles  below  Harrisburg,  and  two  and  one-half  miles 
distant  from  the  quarry. 

The  cost  of  transportation  by  wagon  from  the  quarry  to  the  rail- 
road was  seven  cents  per  cubic  foot.  The  average  annual  output  of 
the  quarry  from  1869  to  1880  is  said  to  have  been  between  14,000 
and  15,000  cubic  feet,  valued  at  that  time  at  about  $15,000. 

The  stone  was  used  for  base-courses,  steps,  sills  and  other  trim- 
mings in  buildings  in  many  of  the  towns  along  the  Northern  Central 
railroad  between  Baltimore  and  Williamsport,  and  on  the  Cumber- 


Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate)  XVI. 


Pettier  and  Styrnus  Building,  New  York  City. 

Showing  the  use  of  Hummelstown  browustone  in  brownstone  fronts.   (Entire 
front  of  dressed  brownstone.) 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  65 

land  Valley  railroad  from  Harrisburg  to  Hagerstown.  It  was  also 
used  for  bridge  abutments,  and  to  a  limited  extent  for  monumental 
purposes. 

The  stone  has  been  removed  from  two  quarry  openings,. one  on  each 
sidd  of  a  shallow  ravine  from  the  north,  which  cuts  through  the 
ledge  of  rock  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  strike.  In  each  one  of  the 
openings  the  stone  has  been  worked  east  and  west  along  the  strike 
of  the  rocks  about  100  yards,  the  openings  being  40  to  50  yards 
across  the  top  and  50  to  60  feet  deep. 

The  strata  are  inclined  40  degrees,  north  20  degrees  west.  The 
thickness  of  the  bed  of  good  stone  appears  to  be  about  12  to  15  feet 
both  overlain  and  underlain  by  red  shale.  As  may  be  readily  im- 
agined with  a  quarry  bed  of  this  thickness,  inclined  at  this  high 
angle,  it  could  not  be  quarried  to  any  great  depth  until  the  stripping 
would  be  too  heavy  to  permit  further  deepening  of  the  quarry  with 
profit,  and  it  becomes  necessary  to  extend  it  lengthwise  along  the 
strike. 

The  rock  is  quite  evenly  bedded,  with]  an  easy  bedding  cleavage,  sw 
that  after  the  stripping  is  once  removed,  it  can  be  lifted  easily  and 
with  little  waste.  It  can  thus  be  quarried  profitably  to  a  greater 
depth  than  a  heavy  bed  of  more  refractory  stone  having  numerous 
irregular  seams. 

The  accompanying  figure  (Fig.  3),  giving  a  section  across  the  west 


Fig.  o.  Section  across  the  Goldsboro  brownstone  quarry. 

end  of  the  opening,  shows  the  position,  the  nature  and  thickness  of 
the  stone,  and  the  shape  of  the  opening.  There  is  no  opening  to  indi- 
cate the  character  of  the  undleirlying  rock.  Wihether  such  has  been 
made  either  by  drilling  or  excavating  could  not  be  ascertained.  The 
surface  is  everywhere  covered  with  soil  which  is  quite  sandy,  with 
numerous  fragments  of  sandstone  scattered  through  it,  indicating 
that  at  least  some  sandstone  occurs  underneath  the  bed  that  has 
been  quarried.  Whether  it  is  in  commercial  quantities  and  of  good 
quality  would  require  further  investigation. 

The  laminated  sandstone  shown  at  (a)  in  the  figure,  occurring  as 
it  does  on  the  perpendicular  face  of  the  quarry,  could  not  be  exam- 
ined except  at  a  distancte.    It  appears  to  be  too  shelly  or  too  much 
5  A-22-96 


66  APPENDIX— ANNUAL   REPORT 

broken  at  the  exposure  to  be  of  any  use  unless  perchance  for  very 
rough  rubble  work.  It  would  no  doubt  improve  in  quality  with  the 
depth,  but  whether  it  would  become  sufficiently  valuable  to  pay  for 
the  removal  of  the  overlying  shale,  thu«  permitting  the  under  stone 
to  be  worked  deeper,  might  justify  investigation,  although  the  in- 
ducement is  not  great.  The  present  condition  so  far  as  could  be 
observed  at  the  old  opening,  would  rather  justify  investigation  of 
the  underlying  beds  if  such  has  not  already  been  done. 

With  the  proper  transportation  facilities*  at  the  quarry,  large 
quantities  of  good  stone  could  be  removed  with  profit  at  this  place 
at  the  present  price  of  stone.  There  is  said  to  be  another  small 
quarry  three- fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  the  Reehling  quarry,  which 
was  not  visited  by  the  writer.  It  is  but  a  smiall  opening,  said  to  have 
been  worked  but  very  little. 

About  a  half  mile  southlwest  from  the  Ree'hling  quarry  is  a  prom 
ising  outcrop  of  brownstone,  similar  in  color  and  texture  to  that 
in  the  quarry  described  above,  but  apparently  in  heavier  layers,  so 
far  as  can  be  judged  from  the  boulders  covering  the  surface.  Judg- 
ing from  the  sandy  soil  and  the  distribution  of  the  boulders,  (here  is 
a  thickness  of  not  less  than  50  or  GO  feet  of  sandstone,  with  possibly 
some  intercalary  shale  and  a  little  conglomerate. 

There  is  an  outcrop  of  brownstone  and  conglomerate  in  the  village 
of  Goldsboro,  but  it  contains  so  many  pebbles  that  it  is  doubtful  if 
any  good  stone  could  be  obtained.  On  the  east  bank  of  the  creek, 
a  half  mile  west  of  the  village,  there  are  a  few  thin  layers  of  sand 
stone  in  a  heavy  bed  of  brown  shale.  On  the  west  bank  of  the  creek, 
near  the  iron  bridge,  some  stone  has  been  quarried  for  local  use.  In 
many  places  west  of  Goldsboro  sandstone  outcrops,  and  future  in- 
vestigation may  .show  stone  in  commercial  quantities. 

Brownstone  generally  filled  with  pebbles  occurs  in  many  places  in 
York  county,  but  inquiry  at  different  places  failed  to  reveal  to  the 
writer  any  quarries  even  of  local  importance.  Eli  Seifert  has  quar- 
ried some  coarse  brownstone  from  'surface  rocks  in  the  vicinity  of 
Dover,  and  hauled  it  to  York  by  wagon,  a  distance  of  eleven  miles. 
Mr.  Seifert  says  the  stone  is  coarse  and  rough,  and  not  fit  for  fine 
buildings.  It  was  used  for  bridge  coping  and  foundations. 


B.    DETAILED  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  CENTRAL  PART  OF  THE  NEW  RED 
BROWNSTONE  AREA. 

Mt.  Gretna,  Cornwall,  Sdhaefferstown,  Mohnsville,  Birdsboro, 
Phoenixville,  Valley  Forge,  Port  Kennedy,  Norristown,  Fort  Wash- 
ington. Doyle-stown  and  Grenoble. 


I 

era 


o*  (t 

I  s 

S  jf 

I  Q 

§  5 

«  JL 


UJTIVBRZITT 


No.   22. 


PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE. 


87 


Mt  6rrefaa.  — Near  Alt.  Gretna  station  on  the  Cornwall  and  Leb- 
anon railroad,  Mr.  A.  G.  De  Huff,  of  Lebanon,  opened  a  quarry  in  the 
New  Red  sandstone  primarily  for  the  sand.  First  loose  sand  from 
the  disintegrating  sandstone  wais  screened  and  used.  Later  he  put 
up  a  rock  crusher  and  now  crushes  the  weathered  sandstone  and 
screens  that.  In  working  this  sand  quarry  he  opened  up  some 
ledges  of  nice  light  brownstone,  which  has  been  used  for  building 
purposes.  The  accompanying  illustration  (Fig.  4)  shows  the  depth 
of  these  ledges  in  the  face  of  the  said  quarry. 


Fig.  4.— Mt.  Gretna  Quarry 

As  the  primary  object  in  this  quarry  is  sand,  the  opening  has  not 
been  carried  to  any  great  depth,  as  the  weathered  rock  crushes  most 
easily.  The  pit  at  the  crusher  has  practically  no  good  stone.  The 
one  back  100  yards  from  the  crusher  shows  on  the  present  face: 

3 — 6  feet  of  soil  and  sand. 

3  feet  shelly  sandstone 

3 — 10  feet  brownstone  with  a  few  weather  seams. 

1 — 2  feet  red  shale. 

0  feet  brownstone  with  streaks  of  pebbles. 

The  bottom  of  the  quarry  is  in  the  brownstone.  How  much  deeper 
it  extends  at  this  point  is  not  known. 

The  brownstone  has  a  uniform  reddish  brown  color,  lighter  and 
brighter  than  the  average  brownstone.  It  has  a  rather  sharp,  coarse, 
angular  grain,  with  streaks  of  pebbles  an  inch  to  two  or  three  inches 
thick,  not  continuous,  but  often  extending  several  yards,  and  in  all 
cases  parallel  with  the  bedding,  the  stone  having  an  easy  cleavage  in 
that  direction,  so  thlat  the  pebbly  streaks  can  be  readily  split  from 
the  other  rock. 

The  little  building  stone  that  has  been  removed  has  been  used  in 
Lebanon.  The  weathered  shelly  stone,  spalls,  etc.,  are  all  taken 
through  the  crusher  and  rolls,  ground  into  sand,  screened  and 


68  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

shipped  to  Lebanon  for  use  in  the  furnaces  and  in  the  building  oper- 
ations. The  owner  contemplates  putting  in  a  washer  to  wash  the 
sand.  The  broken  quartz  pebbles  that  ajre;  not  ground  to  sand 
between  the  rollers  are  screened'  out  and  thrown  aside.  These  pieces, 
which  are  light  colored  and  about  the  size  of  beans,  would  certainly 
make  a  fine  dressing  for  roads  or  walks,  or  excellent  filling  for 
asphalt  concrete. 

Since  the  handling  of  the  sand  by  itself  is  said  to  be  a  profitable 
investment,  it  ought  to  be  made  much  more  so  by  quarrying  the 
building  stone  more  extensively  instead  of  using  all  surface  material, 
and  also  by  seeking  a  market  for  the  quartz  fragments  now  wasted. 

Cornwall  —  There  is  no  quarry  regularly  operated  at  Cornwall,  but 
there  are  a  number  of  buildings,  probably  20  or  more,  constructed  of 
brownstone,  quarried  from  various  points  in  the  hills  about  the 
town. 

The  North  Cornwall  depot,  offices  and  other  buildings  about  the 
iron  mines  are  constructed  of  this  stone.  The  handsomest  and  most 
expensive  of  any  of  the  buildings  is  the  palatial  mansion  of  Mr. 
Robert  Coleman,  standing  in  an  unfinished  condition,  but  on  which  it 
is  said  $125,000  have  been  expended.  It  is  constructed  entirely  of 
this  stone,  with  much  fine  carved  work,  and  is  a  building  of  rare 
beauty.  Care  has  been  taken  in  the  selection  of  the  stone  in  the  Cole- 
man house,  and  as  a  result  the  stone  is  uniform  in  grain  and  color, 
and  free  from  pebbles.  In  the  other  buildings  the  stone  contains 
pebbles,  which  mars  the  beauty  of  the  building  to  some  extent,  al- 
though it  looks  fairly  well  on  a  rock  face. 

In  the  country  south  of  Cornwall  as  tar  as  New  Hope  station,  on 
the  Cornwall  railroad,  there  are  many  farm  houses  and  barns  con 
structed  of  stone  said  to  have  been  obtained  by  quarrying  the  loose 
boulders  and  outcropping  ledges  in  the  adjoining  hills.     So  far  as  is 
known  to  the  writer,  there  is  no  established  quarry  in  this  region. 

Schaefferstoion  and  Kleiwfeltersvillc.  —  There  are  several  small 
streams  breaking  through  the  sandstone  mountains  south  of  Schaef- 
ferstown  and  Kleinfeltersville,  flowing  from  the  Lebanon  limestone 
valley  into  the  Lancaster  limestone  valley,  through  the  intervening 
high  sandstone  mountains.  Along  these  stream-courses,  known  as 
gaps,  there  are  large  quantities  of  brownstone  exposed,  much  of  it 
containing  pebbles,  but  some  layers  free  from  pebbles,  and  most 
of  it  a  warm,  light  brown  color. 

The  gaps'  in  which  stone  has  been  quarried  are  in  order  from  west 
to  east,  Hammer  Creek  gap,  Elizabeth  Creek  gap,  Segloch  gaip  aind 
Middle  Creek  gap.  No  brownstone,  as  far  as  could  be  Imrned.  has 
been  quarried  west  of  Hammer  Creek  gap,  between  that  and  Corn- 
wall. 

Along  the  hill   on  the  east  side  of  Hammer  creek,  considerable 


PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  69 

stone  lias  been  quarried  from  the  surface  rock,  nearly  all  of  it,  so  far 
as  could  be  observed,  containing-  pebbles,  and  in  no  place  worked  to 
a  depth  of  more  than  8  or  10  feet. 

Stone  of  better  quality  was  observed  in  Elizabeth  Greek  gap  than 
in  any  of  the  others.  In  three  different  places  layers  from  8  to  10 
feet  thick  occur  almost  entirely  free  from  pebbles.  Stone  in  limited 
quantities  has  been  taken  out  of  this  gap,  as  it  has  been  in  several 
others,  and  shipped  to  Columbia,  Lebanon  and  Lancaster,  for  use 
in  both  plain  masonry  and  trimmings,  such  as  cornices,  lintels,  water 
tables,  steps,  etc.  Considerable  stone  from  these  mountains  is  said 
to  be  used  in  Lancaster.  Mr.  Jostefpih  Watson,  of  Schaefferstown,  has 
been  quarrying  stone  in  a  small  way  in  the  vicinity  of  Elizabeth 
gap  for  80  years,  using  the  product  in  the  cities  above  named  and  in 
the  smaller  towns  in  the  surrounding  country. 

The  best  stone  observed  in  Elizabeth  gap  was  on  the  property  of 
William  Wagner,  in  a  branch  ravine  some  distance  from  the  Eliza- 
beth creek. 

Beautiful  stone  of  good  texture  and  pleasing  color  has  been  quar- 
ried in  small  quantities  in  this  vicinity,  but  it  is  questionable 
whether  it  could  be  quarried  profitably  in  large  quantities,  owing  to 
the  relative  thinness  of  the  beds  free  from  pebbles,  and  the  great 
quantity  of  conglomerate  associated  with  it,  with  transportation 
facilities,  >so  that  the  conglomerate  could  be  quarried  with  profit  in 
large  quantities  for  bridge,  stone  or  heavy  masonry  then  the  even- 
grained  sandstone  might'  be  obtained  in  marketable  quantities. 

In  Segloch  gap  surface  stone  has  been  quarried  in  small  quanti- 
ties, but  so  far  as  observed  contains  many  pebbles.  Coarse  stone  for 
heavy  masonry  could  be  obtained. 

On  Black  Oak  Ridge,  on  the  west  side  of  Middle  Creek  gap,  south 
of  Kleinfeltersville,  the  conglomerate  brown  sandstone  outcrops  in 
large  quantities.  The  strata  in  this  place  stand  nearly  vertical  (75  to 
80  degrees,  North  10  degrees  East),  the  harder,  more  durable  layers, 
projecting  in  dike-like  walls  in  places.  As  at  Segloch,  the  rock 
contains  many  pebbles.  It  has  been  quarried  for  local  use  in  farm 
buildings  and  bridges;  some  is  said  to  have  been  sihipju-d  fcr  UHC  in 
bridges  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  near  Philadelphia. 

The  property  from  which  the  stone  has  been  quarried  in  the  Mid- 
dle Creek  gap  belongs  to  Thurber  and  Weigle,  each  of  whom  has  a 
nice  residence  in  town  erected  of  brownstone  obtained  from  some 
one  or  more  of  these  gaps  in  the  mountains  south  of  town. 

The  region  between  Middle  Greek  gap  and'  Moihn<sville  was  not  trav- 
ersed, as  no  quarries  of  even  local  importance  were  reported.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  middle  and  south  side  of  the  mountains  through 
Lancaster  county. 

Beading. —  In  Reading  brownstone  from  three  localities  has  been 


70  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

used:  (1),  the  native  stone  from  the  hills  about  Mohnsville  south  of 
Heading;  (-)  the  Hummelstown  stone,  and  (.'>)  the  light  pink  stone 
from  south  of  Birdsboro.  Tlie  first  of  these,  while  of  inferior  qual- 
ity  to  the  others,  has  been  used  more  extensively  than  the  others'  bf- 
cause  of  its  proximity  to  town. 

Mohnsville  —  The  stone  known  as  the  Mohnsville  stone  has  been 
quarried  from  three  openings  on  the  sides  of  thle  valley  about  two 
miles  south  of  Mohnsville.  There  are  other  abandoned  openings, 
but  only  three  now  in  operation.  As  the  nearest  railway  point  is 
Heading,  nearly  eight  miles  away,  all  the  stone  used  in  Reading  or 
shipped  to  other  towns  must  be  transported  by  wagon  that  distance. 

Stone  has  been  shipped  to  Columbia,  Pottstown  and  Minersville, 
yet  the  greater  pa,rt  of  the  product  is  used  in  Reading  or  the  coun- 
try adjoining,  many  country  school  bouses  and  churches  being  built 
of  it. 

The  buildings  in  Reading  constructed  of  it  are  the  Catholic  church 
on  Perkioineu  Avenue,  Keystone  National  Bank,  the  Stevens  build 
ing,  and  several  school  houses  and  private  dwellings. 

The  three  parties  quarrying  stone. at  present  (18D6)  are  John 
Westley,  Amos  Trice,  and  Daniel  Shonour. 

Westley's  quarry  is  the  one  nearest  to  Mohnsville.  Mr.  Westley 
has  been  quarrying  stone  here  since  1880  and  now  has  quite  an  ex- 
tensive stone  trade  considering  the  long  wagon  transportation. 

The  stone  has  a  dark  brown  color  as  dark  as  the  New  England 
brownstone.  It  has  a  rather  porous  texture,  a  medium  coarse  grain, 
with  a  great  deal  of  associated  conglomerate,  heavy  beds  of  con- 
glomerate overlying  and  underlying  the  sandstone  bed  in  the  quarry 
and  pebbles  scattered  through  the  quarry  bed.  While  much  of  tin- 
stone quarried  is  free  from  pebbles  there  is  a  great  deal  used  with 
pebbles  scattered  through  it  more  or  less  abundantly  so  that  the 
stone  is  better  adapted  to  rock-face  work  than  to  fine  tool  dressed 
work. 

The  quarry  is  located  on  the  slope  of  the  ridge  150  or  200  feet 
above  the  valley.  The  dip  of  the  strata  is  a  low  angle  to  the  surface 
of  the  hill  and  the  strike  runs  at  an  angle  to  the  direction  of  the  hill, 
so  that  the  quarry  opening  along  the  strike  of  the  rock  runs  up  and 
down  the  hill.  On  the  upper  side  near  to  the  top  of  the  hill  th!e  open- 
ing has  been  carried  along  the  hill  with  the  dip,  thus  giving  a  face  in 
two  directions.  The  thickness  of  the  bed  quarried  averages  about 
10  to  12  feet,  a  little  thicker  in  some  places.  As  it  is  underlain  by 
conglomerate,  a  much  greater  thickness  can  be  obtained  by  including 
the  conglomerate.  The  accompanying  illustration  (No.  2  on  Plate  14) 
shows  the  position  of  the  stone  and  method  of  quarrying. 

The  next  quarry  above  Westley's,  but  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
valley  belongs  to  Amos  Price,  who  has  operated  it  for  about  six 
years  previous  to  which  he  quarried  from  another  opening  about 


Browustones  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  XVIII. 


Conglomerate  from!  the  hrownstone  south  of  Birdsboro. 
View  on  the  bedding  surface  showing  size  and  distribution 
of  the  pebbles. 


View  in  John  Westley's  quarry,  Mohnsville,  Pa.     Showing  structure  of  the  stone  and 

method  of  working. 


UI-IYIltSX.TT 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  71 

one-fourth  mile  from  the  present  one  for  six  or  seven  years.  Price's 
quarry  is  worked  less  extensively  than  Westley's.  It  has  a  much 
smaller  opening,  the  stone  has  a  larger  fiace,  25  to  SO  feet,  but  the 
greater  part  of  it  con  tains  pebbles.  There  is,  however,  a  little  very 
handsome  brownstone,  a.  better  color  and  texture  than  any  observed 
elsewhere  in  this  region,  but  it  is  in  such  smiall  proportion  to  the 
other  rock  that  it  has  no  great  commercial  value.  The  dip  in  this 
quarry  is  into  the  hill  so  that  it  cannot  be  worked  as  deep  as  the 
one  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley,  owing  to  the  rapid  increase  in 
thickness  of  the  overlying  material. 

Shonour's  quarry  is  about  half  a  mile  up  the  valley  (west)  from 
Price's.  The  opening  worked  at  present  (Oct.,  '96).  is  on  the  south 
side  of  the  valley,  but  there  are  several  openings  on  each  side  of  the 
valley,  none  of  them  of  any  great  depth,  as  all  the  stone  quarried  has 
been  taken  from  near  the  surface.  As  at  the  other  quarries,  there 
is  much  conglomerate  and  some  nice  sandstone. 

The  great  quantity  of  associated  conglomerate  and  scattered  peb- 
bles will  prevent  the  Mohnsville  stone  from  having  a  national  repu- 
tation and  ranking  with  high  class  building  stones,  yet  its  'durability, 
comparatively  large  quantity,  and  ease  of  quarrying  are  sufficient 
to  always  insure  a  local  market  for  it  in  moderate  quantity. 

Birdsboro. — There  are  four  classes  of  stone  in  the  vicinity  of 
ttird'Siboro,  which  have  been  used  for  building:  1,  a  hard  red  shale; 
2,  a  coarse  red  sandstone;  3,  a  light  colored  pink  sandstone;  4,  trap. 

The  red  shale  occurs  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  town.  It  has 
been  quarried  in  the  town  and  for  a  mile  or  more  south  of  the  town. 
There  is  no  large  quarry  opening,  but  a  great  many  small  ones,  from 
which  stone  has  been  taken  for  more  than  30  buildings,  mostly 
dwelling  houses,  in  the  town,  and  many  farm  houses  in  the  surround- 
ing country. 

It  is  remarkable  to  find  a  durable  stone  in  shale  as  it  is  the  nature 
of  most  shales  to  crumble  on  exposure.  This,  however,  contains 
considerable  sand,  probably  an  arenaceous  shale  and  shows  great 
durability.  Some  of  the  houses  above  mentioned  are  said  to  be  more 
than  100  years  old,  built,  it  is  said,  as  early  as  1740,  yet  they  ap- 
pear to  be  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  They  are  all  a  cheap) 
grade  of  houses,  many  of  them  plastered  with  mortar  spread  over  the* 
outside  of  the  wall.  Part  of  the  plaster  has  scaled  off,  showing  ^ 
homely  patchwork  of  brownstone  and  gray  plaster. 

There  are  two  large  quarries  of  the  trap  about  a  mile  south  of  the 
village.  Nearly  all  the  trap  rock  quarried  is  used  for  crushed  stone, 
25  to  30  carloads  per  day  being  turned  out.  Some  of  it  has  been  used 
for  building. 

South  of  the  trap  are  heavy  beds  of  red  sandstone  and  conglom- 
erate, some  of  the  conglomerate  being  quite  coarse.  Two  quarries 
both  close  together,  have  been  opened  in  this  rock  along  the  \Yil- 


72  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

mington  and  Northern  railroad,  about  2  miles  south  of  Birdsboro, 
on  the  east  (here  the  south)  side  of  Hays  creek  and  on  the  north  slope 
of  the  hill  with  the  strata  dipping  nearly  north  at  about  the  same 
angle  as  the  slope  of  the  hill,  so  that  the  surface  of  the  hill  at  this 
place  is  nearly  confined  to  one  stratum  of  rock.  The  solid  rock  in 
many  places  outcrops  on  the  surface  over  considerable  areas  and 
rarely  has  more  than  a  few  inches  of  soil  covering. 

In  the  lower  quarry  the  stone  has  been  opened  at  the  base  of  Ihe 
hill  and  up  the  slope  to  a  height  of  about  100  feet  and  20  to  25  feet 
deep.  The  upper  opening  is  a  little  smaller. 

The  stone  has  a  comparatively  uniform  dark  brown  color,  not 
quite  so  dark  as  the  New  England  stone.  It  contains  a  great  many 
pebbles,  some  quite  large  ones,  4  to  6  inches  in  diameter.  The  peb- 
bles are  arranged  mostly  in  irregular  layers  a  few  inches  thick,  seal 
tered  through  the  strata,  but  occasionally  isolated  ones  .will  be 
found  in  the  midst  of  fine  grained  sandstone.  In  places  there  will 
be  a  thickness  of  several  feet  free  from  pebbles,  but  in  no  place  ob- 
served could  this  stone  be  quarried  alone  with  profit,  but  by  working 
the  stone  on  a  large  scale  and  using  the  coarse  stone  for  bridge  work 
and  heavy  masonry,  the  fine  grained  stone  could  be  obtained  in  mar- 
ketable quantity,  and  the  whole  might  be  worked  with  considerable 
profit,  See  No.  1  on  Plate  18,  which  shows  viieiw  of  the  bedding  plane 
in  the  conglomerate.  This  is  from  a  photograph  of  a  block  wlhicli 
had  siplit  parallel  to  the  bedding  and1  was  turned  on  edge.  It  is  the 
coarsest  part  oi'  the  bed.  Ci  limning  U^is  on  iMncii  nilus  of  si  one 
from  this  quarry  made  in  the  Mechanical  laboratory  at  Stale  College 
showed  results  as  follows:  41,500;  47,240;  48,640;  averaging  45,700 
or  11,448  pounds  per  square  ind? 

Numerous  exposures  of  the  stone  occur,  both  above  and  below  the 
quarry  in  the  valley,  but  so  far  as  observed,  none  were  less  free  from 
conglomerate  than  that  in  the  quarry  and  in  most  places  the  peb- 
bles were  more  numerous. 

The  quarry  was  opened  by  Mr.  James  Humphrey  about  1S1M)  and 
continued  in  operation  for  4  or  5  years,  but  it  is  idle  at  present  and 
the  switch  from  the  railroad  partly  torn  up. 

Further  south  in  the  valley  anfi  of  the  bordering  hills  considerable 
quantities  of  a  handsome  light  pink  sandstone  has  been  quarried  at 
different  points,  the  most  important  points  said  to  be  near  White 
I  Sear  station  on  the  Wilmington  and  Northern  railroad.  The"  locali- 
ties were  not  visited  by  the  writer,  but  stone  dealers  familiar  with 
the  region  say  thereis  no  large  quarry,  but  that  the  work  has  been  alto- 
gether in  surface  stone  obtained  here  and  there  where  easy  of  access. 
There  are  several  houses  in  Reading  constructed  of  this  light  colored 
stone,  the  most  expensive  one  beting  the  residence  of  J.  H.  Sternbergh, 
one  of  the  handsomest  buildings  in  Reading,  located  opposite  the  en- 
trance to  the  ('has.  Evans  cemetery.  (See  Plate  11),  No.  2).  The 


Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  XIX. 


Bucks  County  Court  House,  Doylestown,  Pa.,  Lumberville  and  Yardley  brownstone. 


J.  H.  Sternberg's  residence,  Reading,  Pa.  Berks  county  pink  sandstone. 
Showing  Pennsylvania  brownstoues  in  public  and  private  buildings. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  73 

trimmings  of  this  building  are  of  light  colored  Indiana  limestone. 
Mr.  Stenibergh  states  that  the  stone  for  his  house  came  from  neap 
Geiger's  Mills  near  the  line  of  the  Wilmington  and  Northern  railroad, 
about  15  miles  south  of  Reading,  and  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge 
had  never  before  been  used  in  Reading.  He  obtained  all  the  stone 
from  surface  bouldters  and  slays  that  it  ha,s  been  quarried'  in  consid- 
erable quantities  sinice,  but  not  in  any  defined  quarry  opening.  Mr. 
Yocum's  house,  constructed  of  this  stone,  has  the  trimmings  in 
brownstone.  The  gateway  to  Mr.  Brook's  house  at  Birdsboro  is  of 
this  pink  stone. 

So  far  as  observed  this  pink  stone  is  not  free  from  pebbles,  but 
the  pebbles  are  small,  forming  either  a  coarse  sand  stone  .with  a  few 
small  pebbles  or  a  fine  conglomerate  with  much  sand. 

The  stone  presents  a  pleasing  appearance  in  rock  face  work,  both 
rubble  and  course  work.  The  color  is  attractive  and  looks  well 
either  in  walls  or  in  trimmings,  but  the  coarse  texture  renders  it  un- 
suitable for  fine  cut  work.  This  stone  while  not  regularly  in  the 
market,  is  known  to  the  local  dealers  and  quarrymen,  arid  it  is  said 
can  be  procured  on  demand  in  small  quantities. 

Similar  pink  sandstone  is  said  to  occur  also  on  the  south  side  of 
the  ridge  in  the  Conestoga  valley.  J.  H.  Brinton  of  Thornbury  ad- 
vertises a  pink  stone  from  Conestoga  valley,  stating  that  it  can  be 
furnished  in  quantities  for  trimmings  or  ashlar,  and  that  it  is  pecul- 
iarly adapted  for  trimmings  for  his  Pennsylvania  greenstone.  A 
sample  of  this  Conestoga  pink  sandstone  received  at  the  college  re- 
sembles that  used  in  Reading  and  Birdsboro,  but  a  request  for  fur- 
ther information  elicited  no  response. 

The  beautiful  color  of  this  stone  and  the  demand  for  such  stone 
at  the  present  time  would  justify  a  careful  investigation  of  this  area. 

Phoenixville. — Brownstone  of  inferior  quality  has  been  quarried 
in  a  number  of  places  in  the  vicinity  of  Phoenixville 

There  is  a  small  brownstone  quarry  on  Bridge  street  in  the  west 
side  of  the  town  that  is  said  to  belong  to  Mr.  Malin  Miller.  It  is  now 
abandoned  and  apparently  has  been  for  some  time,  for  a  number  of 
yours  at  least.  The  stone  has  been  quarried  over  an  area  of  a  half 
acre  or  mane  to  a,  depth  of  20  to  25  feet  with  5  to  20  feet  of  brown- 
stone  overlain  by  6  to  10  feet  of  red  shale.  The  stone  lias  numerous 
seams,  in  places  shelly  along  the  seanm  It  has  a  dairk  brown  color, 
darker  on  the  surface  than  in  the. interior. 

No  information  could  be  obtained  regarding  the  time  this  quarry 
was  in  operation,  the  amount  of  stone  produced  or  the  use  to  which 
it  was  put. 

There  is  a  quarry  on  the  hill  above  Mount  Clare,  just  across  the 
river  from  Phoenixville  The  stone  on  the  quarry  face  is  a  dark 


74  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  RE'PORT  Off.   Doc. 

gray,  rusty  brown  and  black  shale.  What  it  was  used  for  could  not 
be  ascertained,  but  it  is  apparently  too  much  laminated  for  use  as 
building  stone.  Wee  No.  1  on  Plate  20  for  view  in  the  quarry. 

A  small  quantity  of  brownstone  has  been  quarried  at  Berwyn,  be- 
low Phoenixville  for  use  in  the  water  works  at  that  place,  but  there 
is  no  regular  quarry. 

Mr.  Gotwftls,  of  Phoenixville,  states  that  brownstone  has  been 
quarried  in  small  quantities  near  Kimberton  on  the  Pickering  Valley 
railroad,  also  near  Yerkes  station  o-n  the  Perkiomen  railroad,  on  the 
property  of  John  Gotwals  and  on  the  Buckwalter  place,  where  stone 
was  obtained  for  constructing  the  bridges  when  the  railroad  was 
built.  Flagstone  has  also  been  obtained.  None  of  these  localities 
was  visited  by  the  writer.  ' 

Valley  Forge. — Brownstone  has  been  quarried  along  the  Schuyl- 
kill  river,  both  above  arid  below  Valley  Forge.  About  mid  way  be- 
tween Valley  Forge  and  Perkiomen  Junction  on  the  south  side  of 
the  fiver  is  a  brownstone  quarry  said  to  belong  to  Newton  Walker, 
but  it  has  not  been  operated  for  several  years.  The  opening  covers 
about  a  quarter  of  an  acre,  15  to  20  feet  deep.  The  stone  which  is  of 
inferior  quality,  is  of  purplish  brown  color,  coarse-grained  texture. 
many  joints  and  seams  and  much  false  bedding  and  intercalary  shale. 
Some  conglomerate  occurs  which  contains  both  quartz  and  shale  peb- 
bles. 

While  but  15  to  20  feet  of  stone  has  been  quarried  the  bed  has  a 
thickness  of  not  less  than  200  feet,  some  of  the  underlying  stone  be- 
ing  fully  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that  which  has  been  quarried, 
yet  it  is  all  more  or  less  defective  throughout,  containing  streaks  of 
conglomerate  and  shale.  The  bedding  is  not  regular. 

About  mid-way  between  Valley  Forge  and  Port  Kennedy  is  a 
brownstone  quarry  said  to  belong  to  Charles  Johnson.  It  has  been 
opened  recently  and  worked  only  on  a  small  scale.  There  is  a  thick 
ness  of  15  to  18  feet  of  solid,  coarse-grained  brownstone. 

Norristown,  Port  Kennedy  and  vicinity.  —  Large  quantities  of 
stone  have  been  quarried  in  the  vicinity  of  Norristown  along  bolh 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad  and  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  railroad. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Schuylkill  river  there  are  quarries  on  the 
bluff  on  the  east  side  of  town,  on  the  east  side  of  Montgomery  ceme- 
tery, on  the  west  side,  and  at  intervals  along  the  Pennsylvania  rail- 
road up  as  far  as  Bet/wood  station,  where  the  large  quarry  of  the 
Port  Kennedy  Stone  Company  is  located.  On  the  south  side  of  the 
Schuylkill  there  are  quarries,  on  the  west  side  of  Bridgeport,  and 
those  enumerated  about  midway  between  Valley  Forge  and  Port 
KeniK  dy  and  a  mile  or  more  nbove  Valley  Forge,  below  Perkiomen 
Junction. 

The  stone  has  had  an  extensive  local  usage  for  building  and  con- 
siderable quantifies  have  been  shipped  to  Philadelphia  and  vicinity. 


Browustoues  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  XX. 


Brown  shale  quarry,  Mount  Clare,  Pa. 


Kennedy's  brow nstone  (light-colored)  quarry,  Fort  Washington.  Pa. 
Quarries  in  the  New  Ked  formation  in  Montgomery  county. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  75 

The  stone  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Norristown,  is  of  a  gray 
color  with  a  tinge  of  pink  or  purple,  while  that  up  the  river  from 
Norristown  is  all  of  a  darker  color  from  a  light  to  a  rather  dark 
brown,  but  both  the  gray  and  the  brown  are  interstratified  with  soft 
red  shale. 

The  bedding  of  the  stone  is  irregular,  a  layer  six  inches  thick  in 
one  place  may  be  two  or  three  feet  thick  only  a  few  yards  away  with 
lenticular  masses  of  red  shale  inclosed.  There  arfei  many  joint  seams, 
which  are  especially  numerous  near  the  outcrop  of  the  layers^  so 
that  much  of  the  stone  is  in  small  dimensions.  Deeper  in  the  bed 
the  seams  are  much  farther  apart  and  near  the  bottom  of  the  quar- 
ries, stone  in  large  but  irregular  blocks  can  be  obtained.  Probably 
the  large  number  of  seams  on  the  outcrop  is  due  partly  to  the  ex- 
cessive use  of  powder  in  quarrying  the  stone. 

The  stone  in  most  of  the  quarries  is  coarse-grained,  there  IHMIIJJ  a 
mixture  of  quartz  and  feldspar  grains  with  a  few  mica  scales.  There 
are  numerous  streaks  of  coarse  conglomerate  in  some  of  the  quarries. 

Part  of  the  wall  about  the  Catholic  school  and  numerous  buildings 
in  Norristown  have  been  constructed  of  stone  from  these  quarries 
and  it  is  said  to  have  been  used  in  bridges  on  both  of  the  railways 
passing  the  quarries  and  for  foundations  in  Philadelphia. 

The  quarry  of  the  Port  Kennedy  Stone  Company  is  at  Betzwood 
station  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river, 
opposite  Port  Kennedy.  The  quarry  was  idle  October,  1896  and  let- 
ters of  inquiry  to  the  company  elicited  no  response  so  that  it  is  not 
known  whether  the  company  is  in  existence  now  or  not.  Consider- 
able stone  has  been  quarried  here  at  some  time,  the  present  open- 
ing covering  four  or  five  acres,  50  or  60  feet  deep  at  the  deepest  part. 
The  brownstone  is  overlain  with  three  to  ten  feet  of  yellow  sand 
and  red  shale.  It  has  a  medium  dark  brown  color  and  occurs  in 
irregular  layers  three  inches  to  two  feet  in  thickness,  many  layers 
wedging  out  entirely  and  masses  of  intercalary  shale  occur.  Besides 
the  irregular  bedding  seams  there  are  many  joint  seams,  especially 
abundant  near  the  outcrop,  so  that  throughout  the  upper  part  of 
the  bed  the  stone  is  cut  up  in  small  dimensions  suitable  only  for 
rubble  or  broken  stone  work.  Near  the  middle  and  bottom  of  the 
quarry,  stone  of  large  dimensions  can  be  obtained.  There  is  some 
conglomerate  present. 

There  is  another  smaller  quarry  of  brownstone  about  half  a  mile 
east  from  Betzwood  station,  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad. 

About  a  half  mile  below  Port  Indian  station,  two  miles  abo-ve 
Norristown  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  is  another  brownstone 
quarry  and  three  or  four  other  small  openings  along  the  railways 
between  this  and  Norristown.  The  stone  varies  somewhat  in  color 
and  texture  in  the  ihlli  1 1  I'1^IIJ1LTO[I,  ^Uji  '  '  more  or  less  defective 
in  all.  Near  Port  Tridiai^OSLfiOTaTCWftwn  color,  while  in  the 


76  APPENDIX— ANNUAL,  RBPORT  Off.  Doc. 

quarry  below  the  cemetery,  which  is  the  largest  opening  of  all,  the 
stone  is  light  colored  and  coarse  grained.  No  particulars  could  be 
obtained  in  regard  to  the  quarry  as  to  when  it  was  operated  and  the 
use  made  of  the  stone. 

A  church  and  several  dwelling  houses  were  noticed  by  the  writer 
in  Norristown  that  were  constructed  of  stone  similar  in  color  and 
appearance  to  the  stone  in  this  quarry,  and  thought  to  be  from  this 
and  neighboring  quarries. 

There  is  another  quarry  opening  that  was  not  visited  by  the 
writer  in  the  lower  (east)  side  of  Norristown,  that  from  a  distance 
appears  to  have  a  light  colored  stone. 

There  are  three  quarry  openings  on  the  south  side  of  I  he  Schuyl 
kill  river,  opposite  Norristown  and  west  of  Bridgeport.  The  most 
eastern  one  of  these,  the  one  nearest  town,  is  operated  by  .1.  L.  Ty- 
son who  has  had  charge  of  it  since  188.1.  It  was  operated  by  other 
parties  for  several  years  previous  to  that  date.  The  stone  occurs  in 
irregular  layers  with  many  vertical  seams,  especially  numerous 
near  the  outcrop,  thus  dividing  the  stone  into  small  dimensions.  (See 
No.  1,  Plate  21). 

The  stone  has  a  light  gray  color,  and  coarse  texture,  merging  into 
conglomerate  in  many  places,  with  a  few  intercalary  streaks  of  shale. 
It  occurs  in  irno/gular  layers  six  inches  to  three  feet  thick,  the  entire 
thickness  of  stone  shown  on  the  present  face  aggivgating  45  to  HO 
feet,  overlain  by  20  to  30  feet  of  red  shale  and  three  to  twelve 
feiet  of  yellow  sand  and  sandfttone,  the  red  shale  containing  thin 
layers  of  hard  sandstone.  The  quarry,  in  fact  none  of  the  quarries 
here  were  in  operation  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  Oct.  11),  18U(>.  Et  is 
said  to  employ  20  to  30  men  and  ships  most  of  the  stone  to  Philadel- 
phia for  use  in  foundations. 

About  250  yards  above,  N.  W.  of,  Tyson's  quarry  is  another  fully 
as  large,  said  to  belong  to  Mr.  Schenlein  and  operated  until  recently 
by  Mr.  John  Brown.  It  is  in  layers  which  overlie  those  in  the  Tyson 
quarry.  It  contains  more  and  coarser  conglomerate  than  Tyson's 
quarry,  some  of  the  pebbles  being  as  large  as  hen's  eggs,  and  in 
some  places  so  feebly  cemented  that  they  drop  out  on  the  exposure 
of  the  rocks,  giving  the  face  of  the  quarry  a  pitted  appearance. 

About  100  yards  northwest  from  the  Schenlein  quarry  is  anotker 
quarry  said  to  have  been  opened  by  Mr.  Brown  after  he  left  the 
Schenlein  quarry.  The  stone  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  in  the  last 
quarry,  but  more  uniform  in  color  and  texture,  having  much  less 
conglomerate.  Some  nice  brownstone  could  be  obtained  here  along 
with  much  that  is  pebbly.  The  microscope  shows  the  stone  to  be 
miade  up  of  large  angular  quartz  and  feldspar  grains,  the  feldspar 
consisting  of  both  the  alkali  and  basic  feldspar,  the  latter  predomi- 
nating. There  are  a  few  small  mica  scales  and  considerable  clay  and 
granular  quartz.  See  No.  2  on  Plate  21. 


Browustoues  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  XXI. 


Brown's  quarry. 


Tyson's  quarry, 

Views  in  the  brownstone  quarries  near  Norristown,  Pa.       Showing  structure 
and  depth  of  weathering. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  77 

Fort  Washington. — About  half  a  mile  above  Fort  Washington  sta- 
tion  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  railroad,  on  the  east  side  of 
I  he  railroad,  are  two  quarries  of  very  light  colored  browns! one,  s  > 
light  in  color  as  to  be  more  properly  termed  gray.  They  are  in 
strata  in  the  New  Red  formation  which  contains  the  true  brownstone 
quarries.  So  that  it  is  put  here  more  on  account  of  its  geologic  re- 
lations than  because  of  the  color. 

The  stone  is  coarse-grained,  made  up  of  grains  of  white  quartz  and 
white  and  pink  feldspar,  with  some  associated  mica. 

In  the  larger  of  the  two  quarries  which  is  owned  by  Mr.  Kennedy 
and  worked  by  Mr.  Burl,  the  stone  is  30  to  35  feet  thick,  overlain  by 
3  to  6  feet  of  sand  and  boulders.  There  are  many  weather  seams 
cutting  the  stone  into  small  dimensions.  In  a  few  places  blocks  as 
large  as  3  to  4  feet  across  are  obtainable,  but  the  greater  part  of  it 
is  in  small  dimensions,  so  far  as  can  be  judged  by  the  quarry  face. 

The  stone  has  been  used  locally  for  building.  The  handsome  res- 
idence of  Mr.  Kennedy  and  probably  riot  less  than  a  dozen  other 
houses  in  the  vicinity,  and  a  number  of  buildings  at  Ambler,  are 
constructed  wholly  or  in  large  part,  of  stone  from  these  quarries. 
(See  No.  2  Plate  30). 

The  smaller  quarry  known  as  Wallace's  quarry  is  not  now  (1896) 
in  operation. 

Doylestown.—  There  are  several  quarries  of  local  importance  in  the 
vicinity  of  Doylestown,  and  in  a  number  of  places  stone  has  been 
gathered  from  tlie  surface  for  use  in  bridges  and  farm  buildings. 

The  largest  quarry  so  far  as  known  in  the  vicinity  is  that  run  by 
Joseph  Paul  at  Frog  Hollow,  near  Neshaininy  postoffice,  six  miles 
south  of  Doylestown,  on  the  Philadelphia,  pike.  The  opening  covers 
an  area  of  about  an  acre,  20  to  25  feet  deep,  having  15  to  20  feet  of 
comparatively  sound  rock,  overlain  by  two  to  four  feet  of  red  sand, 
shelly  stone  and  soil.  The  strata  dip,  10  to  12  degrees  to  the  north. 
There  are  two  marked  systems  of  joints,  one  north-south,  one  east- 
w«*»t,  from  one  to  four  feet  apart.  Nearly  all  the  stone  can  be  moved 
from  its  position  in  the  bed  by  wedging  or  by  the  use  of  a  bar.  Pow- 
der is  used  to  some  extent  for  breaking  up  the  larger  blocks. 

The  sto-ne  has  a  rather  dark  brown  color,  spotted  in  places,  with 
iron  rust.  It  is  very  fine  grained,  finer  than  the  average  brownstone. 
There  are  a  few  feldspar  grains  mixed  with  the  quartz,  nearly  all 
the  grains  having  a  thin  coat  of  red  hematite  which  also  occurs  in 
grains  scattered  through  the  rock. 

The  quarry  was  opened,  it  is  said,  not  less  than  50  years  ago.  Mr. 
Paul  has  had  charge  of  it  for  20  years.  He  employs  from  two  to 
four  men,  and  the  product  of  the  quarry  is  all  used  locally,  the 
nearest  railway  points  being  Doylestown  on  the  north  and  Willow 
drove  on  the  soaith,  each  six  miles  away.  The  almshouse  hospital, 
about  four  miles  north  of  the  quarry,  is  said  to  be  constructed  of  this 
stone. 


78  APPE'NDIX— ANNUAL,  REPORT  Off.  Doc. 

Stone  has  been  quarried  for  cellar  walls  and  road  metal  below  the 
stone  bridge  at  Edison  postoffice,  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Doyles- 
town,  but  none  of  it  is  suitable  for  dimension  stone. 

The  stone  arch  bridge  across  Neshaminy  creek  at  this  point  (Edison 
postoffice)  is  made  of  native  stone,  but  inquiry  could  not  locate  the 
spot  more  closely  than  that  it  was  made  of  stone  picked  up  on  the 
adjoining  hills.  It  was  constructed  in  1800,  many  years  before  the 
railroad  was  built,  and  it  is  in  a  remarkably  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion, no  signs  of  decay  noticeable  anywhere  on  the  bridge.  It  speaks 
well  for  the  durability  of  the  stone.  (See  Plate  III,  No.  1.) 

A.  P.  Loux,  Tradesville,  Pa.,  has  opened  a  quarry  on  his  farm, 
two  miles  sO'Uth  of  Doylestown,  where  stone  has  been  taken  out 
in  small  quantities  for  local  usage.  The  Jewish  school  building  now 
(October,  1XJH>)  being  erected,  one-half  mile  northwest  of  the  quarry, 
is  of  stone  from  this  quarry.  There  are  several  small  openings,  none 
of  which  have  penetrated  more  than  15  or  20  feet  and  consequently 
mot  beneath  the  weathering  influences,  the  numerous  weather  seams 
(cutting  the  rock  into  small  dimensions.  The  rock  has  a  light  gray 
(color,  with  a  brownish  tint.  The  surface  along  all  of  the  seams 
lias  a  dark  brown  stain.  There  are  a  few  spots  of  conglomerate, 
but  much  of  it  has  an  even  medium  coarse  grain,  the  grains  com- 
posed of  quartz  and  feldspar,  the  quartz  grains  interlocking  in 
places;  there  is  some  interstitial  clay  and  granular  quartz. 

Grenoble. —  There  is  a  quarry  of  very  light  colored  brownstone 
011  the  east  side  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  railroad,  close  to 
the  track,  about  two  hundred  yards  south  of  Grenoble  station,  Bucks 
county.  It  has  been  operated  by  Moody  &  Edwards  since  October, 
1895.  It  was  not  in  operation  in  1894,  and  had  been  worked  by  Mr. 
Ryan,  of  Philadelphia,  during  1892-93  and  Jameson  &  Ryan  in  1891. 

There  is  about  22  feet  of  fairly  sound  stone,  overlain  by  three  to 
eight  feet  of  shelly  rock,  largely  waste,  three  to  six  feet  of  red  sand 
and  shale,  and  one  to  four  feet  of  yellow  sand.  The  rock  is  cut  up 
by  numerous  seams,  so  that  moist  of  the  stone  comes  out  in  small 
dimensions,  made  still  smaller  by  the  liberal  use  of  powder  in  quar- 
rying. A  large  part  of  the  product  goes  for  cellar  walls,  rubble 
work  and  similar  uses.  Some  large  dimension  stone  is  obtained. 
The  color  is  a  very  light  brown,  the  grain  finer  than  the  average, 
;m<J.  in  a  few  places  it  is  slightly  cross-grained,  but  not  to  any  great 
extent.  It  is  made  up  of  a  closely  aggregated  mass  of  quartz  and 
feldspar,  the  latter  much  decayed,  considerable  hematite  coating  the 
quartz  and1  feldspar  and  in  grains  diffused  through  the  rock. 

The  company  employs  from  12  to  22  men  in  the  quarry  and  ships 
stone  to  different  places  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey — at  present 
(October,  1896)  they  are  filling  an  order  for  Oamcletu  New  Jersey. 


Xo.  22.        i  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE.  79 

The  railway  station  at  Grenoble,  a  neat,  little  brownstone  struct- 
ure, is  made  of  stone  froim  this  quarry,  which  is  also  used  in  a  number 
of  schoolhouses  in  the  surrounding  country. 

There  is  a  small  abandoned  opening  on  the  north  bluff  of  the 
Neshaminy  creek,  half  a  mile  west  of  Grenoble  station,  where  the 
rock  is  darker  colored  than  that  o»n  the  railroad  and  very  shelly  where 
exposed.  It  is  overlain  by  a  heavy  bed  of  red  shale. 

Along  the  railway  north  of  Grenoble  station  and  half  a  mile  south 
of  Ruslhland  station,  there  are  large  exposures  of  red  snale,  5D  to  75 
feet  thick,  but  no  rock  of  commercial  importance. 

North  and  Northeast  of  Rushland  station  are  exposures  of  black 
shale,  weathering  rusty  brown  o-n  exposure.  It  is,  quarried  about  ai 
quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  Kushlaiul  and  crushed  for  road  material. 


C.      NOKTHEAST  END  OF  THE  NEW  BED  BttOWNBToNE  AttEAv. 

Newtown,  Yardley,  Garversville  and  Lumberville., 

Newtoivn.  —  There  is  but  one  quarry  at  Newtown  that  produces 
building  stone;  that  is  operated  by  Mr.  Mitchell,  who  has  had  cfharge 
of  it  for  14  years,  and  who  operated  the  Yardley  quarry  for  the  nine 
years  preceding. 

The  quarry  is  nearly  two  miles  west  of  Newtown  and  nearly  t wo- 
und one-half  miles  from  the  railroad.  The  stone  that  is  shipped  bv 
rail  it  is  necessary  to  haul  this  distance.  Howevtr,  mudhrof  the  stone- 
delivered  within  a  radius  of  10  to  14  miles  is  wagoned  the  entire  dis- 
tance, as  it  is  thought  to  be  cheaper  than  the  extra  handling  in  the' 
haul  at  each  end  of  the  road.  Stone  is  hauled  by  wagon  to  Trenton,, 
N.  J.,  10  miles  away. 

As  might  be  judged  from  the  shipping  facilities,  the  stone  is  largely 
cut-stone  of  good  quality,  as  there  would  be  no.  pro-fit  with  low 
priced  stone  with  such  expensive  transportation. 

The  stone  is  somewhat  similar  in  character  to  the  Yardley  stone, 
but  has  a  lighter,  brighter,  more  uniform  colo-r  and  more  even  grain 
than  much  of  the  Yardley  stone. 

The  color  is  a  ligjht  brown,  with  a  purple  tinge,  and  comparatively 
uniform.  It  has  a  medium  fine  grain  and  fairly  uniform  texture 
throughout.  There  are  a  few  bands  toward  the  bottom,  two  to  four 
inches  thick,  which  contain  shale  fragments  sometimes  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  give  the  stone  a  darker  color,  and  in  all  cases  injuring 
the  quality  of  the  stone.  It  is  slightly  cross-grained  in  a  few  places, 
but  the  great  mass  of  the  stone  is  fairly  uniform. 

It  is  more  feldspathic  than  the  stone  further  west  as  shown  both 
by  the  chemical  and  microscopical  examination. 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT 


Off.   Doc. 


Chemical  analysis  of  Ncwtown  broivnstone. 

Silica  (SiO2), 82.34 

Alumina  (A12O3), 11.46 

Iron  oxide  Fe»O3), 1.07 

Lime  (CaO), 27 

Magnesia  (MgO), .19 

Manganese  oxide  (MnOo), -07 

Potash  (K20), 17 

Soda  (Na2O), 3.76 

Water  (H2O), 80 

Total, 100.13 

Specific  gravity, 2 . 66 


The  decreased  percentage  of  silica  and  the  increase  of  alumina 
and  soda  indicate  an  increased  percentage  of  feldspar  or  tVUlspathic 
material  over  the  Hummelstown  stone,  which  fact  is  shown  flie  more 
clearly  in  the  microscopic  section  (Fig.  5),  which,  when  compared 


Fig.  5.— Microscopic  sections  of  brownstone  from  Mitchell's  quarry  (1)  and  the 
lardlev  quarry  (2).  F,  is  feldspar;  the  cross  line  areas,  "aggregates  of  clay  and  finely 
granular  quartz;  the  colorless  areas  quart/  grains.  Enlarged  44  diameters. 

with  sections  of  stone  from  the  other  localities  (see  Plates  1  and  10), 
shows  the  increased  amount  of  feldspar.  There  is  a  large  percentage 
of  granular  quartz  diffused  through  the  clay  cement  and  a  considera- 
ble percentage  of  the  iron  oxide  is  segregated  in  small  lumps  through 
the  clay.  A.  trace  of  mica  was  observed  in  the  occurrence  of  a  few 
very  minute  flakes. 

The  stone  is  much  softer  and  lacks  that  brittle  quartzose  character 

«r'  the  Lumberville  and  Stockton  stone.  It  cuts  and  dresses  freely 

.and  works  more  easily  than  the  average  brownstone.    It  splits  easily 

•with  the  grain,  without  even  drilling  holes,  by  simply  driving  in 


No.   22. 


PENNSYLVANIA   STATE    COLLEGE. 


81 


small  wedges.  Across  the  grain  it  is  split  by  drilling  holes,  six  1o 
twenty  inches  deep,  depending  on  the  size  of  the  block  to  be  split, 
and  driving  in  wedges. 

There  is  a  thickness  of  35  feet  of  solid  stone,  overlain  by  35  feet  of 
shaly  sandstone,  red  shale  and  yellow  sand  at  the  west  end,  thinning 
to  one  or  two  feet  at  the  east  end.  It  all  lies  above  water  level  on  the 
north  bluff  of  the  Neshaminy  creek. 

The  strata  dip  N.  10  degrees,  E.  12  to  15  degrees,  so  that  the 
stripping  increases  rapidly  in  working  back  into  the  hill.  An 
admirable  economic  feature  of  the  stone  is  the  joint  seams.  There 
are  two  systems,  one  N.  1.0  E.,  one  N.  90  E..  which  are  very  regular, 
with  smooth  faces  and  from  four  to  twenty  feet  apart,  thus  sub- 
dividing the  bed  into  roughly  rectangular  blocks  of  different  sizes. 
By  having  a  face  of  considerable  extent,  Mr.  Mitchell  finds  it  easy 
to  split  off  blocks  of  any  required  dimension  from  some  point  along 
the  face  with  very  little  waste  by  selecting  the  block  of  the  proper 
width.  The  jointing  is  shown  on  the  accompanying  view  of  the 
quarry,  figure  (>. 


Fig.  6.  — Mitchell's  Quarry,  Newtown,  Pa.,  showing  thickness  of  layers,  system  ot 
jointing  and  amount  of  stripping. 

0  A-2LM)G 


32  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

The  stone  has  been  used  extensively  for  trimmings  for  both  stone 
and  brick  buildings  and  a  number  of  buildings  are  constructed  of 
it  entirely.  It  is  a  stone  easily  carved  and  looks  well  either  on  rock 
face  or  tool  dressed. 

Some-  of  the  buildings  in  which  it  has  been  used  are  the  German 
Hospital,  Philadelphia;  Convent  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  Chew  street, 
Gerrnantown;  Episcopal  Hospital,  Germantown;  the  First  National 
Bank,  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  churches,  addition  to  the  public 
school  building,  and  a  number  of  handsome  private  residences  in 
Newtowrn. 

Watson's  quarry. — There  is  a  small  quarry  about  half  a  mile  south 
of  the  village  of  Newtown  operated  by  Mr.  Charles  Watson,  which 
produces  crushed  stone  for  macadamizing  roads.  A  steam  rock 
crusher  was  put  in  two  years  ago,  but  has  not  been  in  constant  oper- 
ation. T'he  stone  has  a  dark  brown  co-lor,  is  hard  and  brittle  and  con- 
tains much  more  iron  oxide  than  that  at  Mitchell's  quarry. 

There  is  about  fifteen  feet  of  bro<wnstone  overlain  by  three  to  five 
feet  of  soil  and  red  shale.  The  strata  dip  10  degrees  N.,  20  degrees 
W.,  with  numerous  seams  east-west  and  north-south.  None  of  this 
stone  is  used  for  building  except  a  very  little  for  collar  walls. 

The  brownstone  outcrops  in  several  places  in  the  vicinity  of  New- 
town,  in  places  of  very  similar  character  to  that  in  Mitchell's  quarry. 
The  approximate  line  of  these  outcrops  is  shown  on  the  Bucks- Mont- 
gomery county  maps  made  by  Dr.  Lyman.* 

The  creek  in  the  town  flows  over  a  solid  bed  of  brownstone,  which 
shows  in  the  bottom  of  the  creek. 

The  stone  is  exposed  in  a  number  of  places  along  the  road  between 
Mitchell's  quarry  and  the  town,  also  on  the  Doylestown  road,  north- 
west of  the  town.  About  one  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  the 
town  on  the  Doylestown  road,  the  outcrop  shows  several  feet  of  the 
sandstone  in  a  massive  ledge,  where  a  good,  workable  stone  would 
likely  be  found  close  to  the  surface.  In  most  places  the  stone  is 
quite  sihlelly  on  the  outcrop. 

Yardley. — There  are  several  grades  of  stone  and  a  number  of  small 
quarry  openings  in  the  vicinity  of  Yardley.  Two  of  the  largest  quar- 
ries, known  as  the  Yardley  and  Nicholson  quarries,  are  in  stone 
similar  in  their  general  character,  and  resembling  somewhat  the 
Newtown  sto-ne. 

The  stone  in  these  two  quarries  is  a  light  brown,  rather  coarse 
grained  soft  sandstone,  much  softer  than  the  Lumberville  stone;  in 
fact,  softer  than  almost  any  of  the  other  brownsto-nes  in  the  State. 

The  shipping  facilities  are  rather  defective,  most  of  the  stone  being 

*See  maps  accompanying-  the  New  Red  of  Bucks  and  Montgomery  counties, 
Volume  3,  part  2,  of  the  Summary  Final  Report,  Pennsylvania  Geological  Sur- 
vey, 1895. 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA    STATE   COLLEGE.  83 

sent  by  canal,  some  of  it  by  rail  on  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading 
railroad,  but  neither  of  the  quarries  is  on  the  canal  or  the  railroad. 
The  Yardley  quarry  is  about  200  yards  from  the  canal  and  a  mile 
or  more  from  the  railroad.  The  Nicholson  quarry  is  nearly  a  (half  mile 
from  the  canal  and  more  than  a  half  mile  from  the  railroad.  This 
is  the  principal  reason,  probably,  why  these  quarries  are  not  worked 
more  extensively.  Another  reason  given  by  some  of  the  quarrymen 
is  that  the  lease  irate  is  too  high. 

.  The  Nicholson  quarry,  one-half  mile  north  of  west  of  the  village 
was  first  worked  probably  100  years  or  more  ago,  but  previous  to  the 
war  the  work  was  on  a  small  scale.  About  1808  it  began  to  be  worked 
more  extensively.  In  1873  the  Twining  Brothers  obtained  control 
of  it  and  ran  it  for  about  nine  years,  during  which  time  a  great  deal 
of  good  building  stone  was  taken  out.  They  employed  from  25  to  50 
men.  In  the  last  year  or  two  o«f  their  work  much  of  the  stone  went 
into  bridges,  but  in  previous  years  it  went  largely  for  buildings  in 
Philadelphia  and  Camden.  Mr.  Twining  says  he  remembers  furnish- 
ing stone  for  at  least  ten  school  houses  in  one  year  in  Philadelphia. 

The  quarry  was  operated  by  Mr.  Shevlin  for  several  years  after 
the  Twining  Brothers  left  it,  but  it  has  been  idle  now  for  several 
years,  except  occasionally  stone  is  removed  in  small  quantities  by 
different  parties  for  local  use. 

The  quarry  opening  covers  about  three  acres  in  extent,  30  to  50 
feet  deep.  A  variable  thickness  of  three  (<>  fifteen  feet  at  the  top  con- 
sists largely  of  red  brown  shale  with  some  interstratified  shelly 
sandstone,  with  25  to  35  feet  of  light  purplish  brownstone  under- 
neath. 

The  stone  is  evenly  bedded  and  iu  the  bottom  heavily  bedded,  but 
one  or  two  bedding  seams  showing  in  the  20  to  25  feet  from  i'he  bot 
torn.  There  are  two  sets  of  joint  seams,  one  N.  20  degrees  K.  one  N. 
70  degrees  W.,  the  first  one  being  more  pronounced.  These  seams 
are  two  to  twenty  feet  apart,  thus  cutting  the  stone  ino  rectangular 
Mocks  of  varying  sizes. 

The  bottom  of  the  quarry  is  not  perfectly  level.  Near  the  south- 
west corner  there  is  quite  a  prominence  on  the  quarry  floor  where 
the  stone  dips  in  various  directions. 

The  color  is  fairly  uniform,  being  a  light  purplish  gray,  in  all 
places  being  darker  on  the  face  of  the  stone  and  along  the  joints  than 
in  the  interior.  This  is  probably  due  in  large  measure  to  the  sedi- 
ment washed  from  the  overlying  red  shale  by  the  rains.  The  stone  is 
soft  and  works  easily.  Tire  microscope  shows  a  greater  percentage 
of  quartz  than  that  in  the  Yairdley  quarry  and  the  feldspar  better 
preserved. 

The  Yardley  quarry  is  about  a  half  mile  north  of  Yardley  and 
about  200  yards  west  of  the  canal,  thus  having  an  advantage  over 


84  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

the  Nicholson  quarry  in  transportation  facilities  by  water.  The 
quarry  was  worked  for  a  number  of  years  by  Mr.  Mitchell,  who  is 
now  running  the  Newtown  quarry,  but  is  now  operated  by  Mr. 
James  Shevlin,  who  has  had  charge  of  it  for  eight  years.  Much  of 
the  stone  is  used  for  rubble  work  in  Camden  and  Philadelphia, 
yet  considerable  cut  stone  has  been  shipped.  Some  of  the  buildings 
in  which  the  stone  has  been  used  are  a.  Catholic  church  at  Camden, 
an  addition  to  the  public  school  building  at  Camden,  Presbyterian 
church  at  Easton,  wing  of  the  Episcopal  Hospital,  Front  and  Le- 
high  avenues,  Philadelphia,  and  the  Doylestown  Court  House  in 
part.  (See  list  on  p.  39.) 

The  opening  is  5  or  0  acres  in  extent,  30  to  45  feet  deep.  The  stone 
is  weathered  to  considerable  extent,  having  3  to  5  feet  of  yellow  soil 
on  top,  underlain  in  turn  by  3  to  10  feet  of  red  shale  and  shaly  sand 
stone  and  0  to  8  feet  of  sandstone  with  many  weather  seams  and  20 
to  25  feet  of  good  stone  with  seams  in  numerous  places.  Much  of 
the  stone  is  in  small  dimensions  which  goes  largely  for  rubble  work, 
along  with  whldh  considerable  good  dimension  stone  is  obtained.  The 
nicest  stone  exposed  at  the  present  time  is  in  a  north  wing  of  the 
quarry,  at  the  east  end  where,  near  the  bottom  of  the  quarry,  a  light 
pink  colored  rock  occurs  that  has  a  very  attractive  appearance. 
There  is  a  little  quartz  conglomerate  mixed  with  it,  but  not  in  sufli- 
cient  quantities  to  cause  much  waste.  The  opening  is  nearly  filled 
with  water,  work  at  the  present  (Sept.,  1896)  being  carried  on  at  the 
west  end  of  the  quarry,  so  that  the  extent  of  this  bright  colored 
stone  could  not  be  observed. 

The  upper  part,  in  places  more  than  half  of  the  stone,  can  be  re- 
moved by  simply  prying  it  loose  from  the  bed  with  bars  inserted  in 
the  seams.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  bed  where  the  seams  are  fewer 
and  not  so  open  powder  is  used  to  blast  the  stone  loose. 

Chemical  analysis  of  broivnstone  from  the  Yardley  quarry* 

Silica  (SiO2),  82.72 

Alumina  (APO3),   . 10.29 

Ferric  oxide  (Fe2O3) 1.92 

Lime  (CaO), .17 

Magnesia  (MgO), 3<i 

Manganese  oxide  (MnO2) .16 

Potash  (K2O),  .10 

Soda   (Na2O),    .• 2.92 

Water  (H2O),   1.22 


Totail 99.84 

Specific   gravity, 2.ti75 


*Made  in  the  Chemical  laboratory  of  Pennsylvania  State  College. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA    STATE   COLLEGE.  85 

The  microscope  shows  the  feldspar  to  be  much  decayed  in  places, 
only  a  trace  of  the  original  in  the  resulting  clay  cement  remaining 
along  with  numerous  fine  grains  of  quartz  diffused  through  the  clay 
and  a  few  small  spots  of  segregated  iron  oxide  in  the  clay  and  coat- 
ing the  grains.  (See  the  right  side  of  No.  2  in  Fig.  5  on  p.  80).  The 
stone  is  not  uniform  in  texture,  having  small  areas  quite  quartzose 
made  up  of  interlocking  quartz  grains  while  other  areas  of  equal  ex- 
tent have  comparatively  no  quartz. 

There  is  another  quarry  about  two  miles  north  of  Yardley,  on  the 
bank  of  the  canal,  worked  by  Mr.  William  White.  The  stone  is  hard 
red  and  black  shale  and  slate,  no  sandstone  occurring  at  this  point. 
It  is  used  for  rip  rap  along  the  river,  no  dimension  stone  being  quar- 
ried. There  is  aface  of  50  to  GO  feet  showing: 

Soil  and  shelly  rock, 6  in.  to  1  foot 

Shelly,  weathered'  rock, ' .  1  in.  to  3  feet 

Solid  red  stole,  with  many  seams,. .....  6  in.  to  8  feet 

JJrown  shale,  with  streaks  of  green,.  ...  10  in.  to  15  feet 

SoHd  T<ed  shale, 10  feet 

Greenish  blue  shale, -0  in.  to  12  feet 

Blue-black  calcareous  shale, 10  feet 


There  are  several  quarry  openings  along  the  canal  south  of  Yard- 
ley  that  were  not  visited  by  the  writer.  The  stone  is  said  to  be  of 
inferior  quality,  used  only  for  cellar  walls  and  rough  work  and  the 
( I uarries  have  not  been  operated  for  several  years.  They  are  in  layers 
that  underlie  those  in  the  quarries  above  mentioned.  In  several 
places  in  the  vicinity  of  Yardley,  north  and  northwest  of  the  town 
are  outcrops  of  brownstone  similar  to  that  in  the  quarries. 

The  lack  of  proper  transportation  facilities  prohibits  further  ex- 
ploitation. With  sufficient  capital  to  build  a  railway  to  the  quarries, 
the  present  ones  might  be  operated  more  extensively  and  others 
opened.  The  thickness  of  the  bed  is  not  great,  but  in  proportion  to 
the  amount  of  waste,  the  quantity  is  equal  to  that  in  many  quarries 
worked  with  profit  farther  from  good  markets  than  these. 

Garversville. —  The  Oarversville  quarry  was  not  visited  by  the 
writer.  It  was  purchased  by  the  Twining  Brothers,  of  Yardley,  and 
operated  for  them  by  Mr.  Edwards,  now  at  Grenoble,  from  1881  to 
1885.  It  was  purchased  by  them  primarily  in  order  to  get  light  color- 
ed stone  to  fill  a  contract  in  Philadelphia,  where  the  darker  colored 
Yardley  stone  could  not  be  used.  Stone  was  taken  out  for  various 
sdhiool  houses  and  churches,  but  the  hard  stripping,  and  difficulty  in 
keeping  out  the  water  and  the  distance  from  the  railroad  and  the 
canal  all  comibined  to  make  the  further  working  of  the  quarry  uu 
profitable. 


86  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

Lumberville.  —  The  Lumberville  stone,  advertised  by  one  company 
as  the  Lumberville  granite,  while  not  very  brown  occurs  in  the  New 
Red  formation,  closely  associated  with  brownstone  and  interstratified 
with  red  shaJes. 

The  manager  of  one  of  the  quarries  says  they  call  the  stone  granite 
for  the  want  of  a  better  name.  The  stone-cutters  refuse  to  work  it 
as  sandstone,  and  they  were  compelled)  to  use  some  other  name.  The 
si  one  is  properly  a  quartzite  or  a  quartzitic  sands-tone,  but  there  is  so 
little  quartzite  used  in  the  trade  that  the  term  is  not  a  familiar  one 
among  dealers,  and  so  was  not  used.  It  is  an  unfortunate  use  of  the 
much  abused  term  giranite. 

Dr.  Penrose  calls  it  a  "feldspathic  quartzite/'  an  appropriate  name 
for  the  geologist,  but  still  more  difficult  to  introduce  into  the  stone 
Ivade  than  simply  quartzite,  as  feldspar  is  not  a  familiar  term  to 
many  of  them. 

Mr.  Paxson,  another  of  the  quarrymen,  calls  it  graystone,  a  legiti- 
mate if  not  a  very  definite  term. 

From  the  sitandipoint  of  the  stone-cutter  or  the  merchant  there  is 
some  excuse  for  classing  it  as  a  granite,  as  it  is  not  greatly  different 
from  an  average  granite  in  composition,  either  chemical  or  minera.1- 
ogical,  being  made  up  of  the  detritus  from  granite  rocks,  but  the 
basic  minerals  have  decayed  to  a  large  extent.  It  takes  granite 
tools  to  cut  it,  being  harder  than  any  sandstone. 

In  its  origin  or  mode  of  formation  it  is  a  sandstone,  being  composed 
of  granular  sedimentary  material  hardi'iird  into  rock.  It  differs 
from  the  ordinary  sandstone  in  having  the  grains  more  (irmly 
cemented,  which  causes  the  greater  hardness  and  differs  from  or- 
dinary quartzite  or  quartzitic  sandstone  in  having  more  foreign  ma- 
terial along  with  the  quartz. 

In  its  history  it  differs  from  the  common  sandstone  in  that  a  large 
proportion  of  its  constituents  are  derived  by  erosion  from  fresh  gran- 
ite or  granitic  rock  of  some  kind,  while  ordinarily  the  sand  sediment 
is  derived  from  decayed  rocks  in  which  the  feldspathic  and  other  com- 
plex minerals  are  broken  up  and  the  quartz  separated  from  the  other 
materials.  The  rock  needs  to  be  fused  and  recrystallized  to  form 
granite.  Hence,  while  the  term  is  probably  permissible  from  the 
stone-cutter's  standpoint,  it  is  to  be  deplored  from,  a  scientific  point 
of  view. 

According  to  Dr.  Lyman's  classification,  it  comes  in  the  same  divis- 
ion of  the  New  Red  as  the  Yardley  and  Newtown  quarries,  called  by 
him  the  Norristown  shales;  but  the  Lumberville  stone  is  at  a  some- 
what lower  horizon  than  the  others,  corresponding  more  neatly  with 
the  i^ray  stone  along  the  canal  south  of  Yardiley. 

The  stone  is  essentially  different  in  hardness  as  well  as  c-olor  from 
any  others  anywhere  in  the  New  Red  formation  in  the  State,  so  far  as 


No.  22. 


PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE. 


87 


known  to  the  writer.  That  at  Raven  Bock  and  Stockton,  N.  J.,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  near  by  rather  closely  resembles  it,  but  is 
not  so  hard. 

It  differs  from  the  average  brownstone  not  only  in  color,  but  notice- 
ably so  in  hardness.  The  prevailing  color  is  a  blue  gray,  with  a 
faint  pink  tinge,  more  pronounced  in  long  exposed  surfaces,  with 
light  brown  in  places,  in  some  places  buff,  and  in  others  various 
shades  of  gray  and  blue;  and  some  layers  a  decided  brown.  It  is 
only  by  quarrying  on  a  large  quarry  face  on  a  large  scale  and  select- 
ing the  stone,  that  a  stone  of  uniform  shade  of  color  can  be  obtained. 

The  variation  in  texture  is  equally  as  great.  It  varies  from  fine- 
grained to  a  coarse  conglomerate,  the  conglomerate  occurring  in 
thin  bands  or  layers,  varying  from  a  fraction  of  an  inch  to  a 
foot  or  more  in  thickness  in  the  finer  grained  stone  with  rarely  any 
line  of  parting  between  them.  The  pebbles  are  quite  variable  in 
composition,  some  being  nearly  pure  quartz,  some  feldspathic,  and 
many  of  a  diark  red  brown  shale,  so  abundant  in  places  as  to  give  ihe 
stone  a  decided  dark  color. 

A  partial  chemical  analysis  shows  a  percentage  of  silica  of  79.58 
per  cent,  with  iron  oxide,  lime  and  alumina  present. 

Its  extreme  hardness  is  shown  (1)  by  its  crushing  strength,  which 
is  more  than  20,000  pounds  to  the  square  inch,  about  four  times  that 
of  an  average  sandstone;  (2)  by  the  impact  test  (Johnson),  which  gave 
a  loss  of  but  .40  per  cent.;  (3)  its  absorption,  which  is  1.12  per  cent.; 
(4)  and  decidedly  the  difficulty  met  in  cutting  it.  The  stone-cutters 
refuse  to  work  it  for  sandstone,  turning  it  over  to  the  granite  ciutters. 

The  hardness  is  due  in  part  (1),  to  the  interlocking  of  the  angular 
grains;  (2),  the  presence  of  some  quartz  cement  binding  the  grains, 
and  (3),  the  presence  of  calcite  in  the  cement,  as  shown  on  the  accom- 
panying micro-drawing,  the  one  to  the  left  being  an  exceptionally 
feldspathic  area,  the  one  to  the  right  showing  the  calcite  cement. 


Fig.  7.— Micro-drawings  of  the  Luinbervilie  stone.  F  is  1  eld  spar,  the  clear  areas 
quartz,  the  cro.ss-liued  areas  clay  and  granular  quirtz,  the  dotted  area  calcite. 
Magnified  44  diameters. 


88  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.  Doc. 

The  stone  occurs  in  heavy  bedded, in  places  almost  ma-wive,  layers, 
having  a  dip  west  of  north.  Weathering  opens  incipient  bedding 
planes,  so  that  near  the  outcrop  the  stone  occurs  in  thin  layers,  but 
in  the  interior,  beneath  the  action  of  the  weather,, the  bedding  seams 
are  almost  entirely  absent,  the  thin  layers  merging  into  a  massive 
bed  so  far  as  the  bedding  planes  are  concerned.  However,  there  is  a 
system  of  nearly  vertical  joints  (back  seams)  running  in  a  nearly 
southwest-northeast  direction  at  varying  distances  apart,  from  a  few 
inches  to  four  or  five  feet.  The  cross  joints,  or  wall  seams,  at  right 
ar.gles  to  these,  are  in  most  places  very  few,  frequently  20  feet  or 
more  apart,  in  consequence  the  stone  on  the  outcrop  is  generally  cut 
up  by  the  different  seams  into  small  dimensions,  which  increase  in 
size  beneath  the  surface  and  in  the  lotwer  part  of  the  deeper  quarries 
it  occurs  in  blocks  as  large  as  can  be  handled.  (See  Plate  23.) 

The  total  thickness  of  the  stone  at  this  locality  is  not  known,  but 
must  be  several  hundred  feet.  The  quarries  are  all  in  different  lay- 
ers, the  dip  of  the  rock  being  12  to  13  degrees  N.  35  degrees  W. 
(varying  in  different  places),  the  lowest  (most  easterly)  quarries 
being  in  the  lowest  layers,  the  quarries  farthest  west  being  Hie 
highest  in  the  series. 

While  the  joint  seam's  are  quite  regular  and  uniform  in  direction, 
there  is  in  many  places  a  thickness  of  an  inch  or  more  along  the  joint 
surface  that  is  quite  scaly.  While  the  material  in  these  separate 
thin  scales  or  layers  is  very  hard  and  firm  the  rock  is  rendered  shelly 
for  an  inch  or  two  along  the  seam  by  these  small  joint  planes  pm-al- 
leling  the  larger  ones. 

The  grain  of  the  stone  is  remarkably  straight,  which  largely  com- 
pensates for  the  excessive  hardness  in  the  quarrying  of  the  stone. 
To  split  large  blocks  it  is  only  necessary  to  put  in  a  few  shallow  drill 
holes,  and  drive  in  wedges  to  produce  a  break  remarkably  straight 
and  even. 

The  quarrying  of  the  stone  is  made  very  simple  and  comparatively 
easy  by  utilizing  the  joint  seams.  These  seams  vary  a  few  degrees 
from  the  vertical  and  after  getting  an  opening  made  to  the  required 
depth  it  is  only  necessary  to  throw  down  these  nearly  vertical  layers 
one  after  the  other.  This  may  be  done  sometimes  by  merely  prying 
them  loose  with  a  bar,  while  sometimes  a  small  charge  of  powder  is 
used.  In  some  of  the  openings  they  work  under  the  leaning  layers, 
11  ins  utilizing  the  gravity  of  the  stone  and  greatly  economizing  the 
force  necessary  to  move  the  blocks.  In  some  of  the  lesser  openings 
they  work  from  the  other  side,  which  necessitates  a  much  greater 
force  to  move  the  stone. 

The  crushing  strength  of  the  stone  is  very  much  higher  than  any 
of  the  commoner  sandstones  as  may  be  seen  on  consulting  the  table 


Brownstones  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  XXII. 


1.     At  right  angles  to  the  plane  of  the  joints. 


2.     In  the  line  of  the  joints. 
Views  in  the  Lnmberville  quarries,  showing  the  joint  structure. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE.  S9 

on  page  30.  Four  specimens,  tested  at  Fail-bank's  laboratory  in 
New  York  City,  gave  the  following  results  in  pounds  per  square 
inch:  No.  1,  20,180  pounds;  No.  2,  21,080  pounds;  No.  3,  23,780  pounds; 
No.  4,  16,540  pounds  making  an  average  of  19,895  pounds  per  square 
inch  for  the  four.  However,  two  of  the  specimens  (Nos.  2  and  4)  had 
been  subjected  to  freezing  tests  before  crushing,  and  taking  the  two 
fresh  specimens  (Nos.  1'  and  3)  the  average  would  be  20,980. 

Two  samples  tested  in  Philadelphia  in  the  laboratory  of  Booth, 
(Jarrett  and  Blair,  August,  1896,  gave  an  average  of  24,025  pounds 
per  square  inch. 

Tests  on  the  shearing  stress  made  by  Prof.  Garrison,  of  the 
Franklin  Institute,  gave  for  four  specimens  the  following  result: 
No.  1,  6,990  pounds  per  square  inch;  No.  2,  2,370:  No.  3,  5,5(50;  No.  4, 
(I,3(H),  giving  an  average  of  5,320  pounds  per  square  inch. 

Absorption  tests  made  on  two  specimens  after  immersion  for 
I  wenty-four  hours  gave  1.04  per  cent,  and  1.11  per  cent,  an  average 
of  1.07  per  cent.* 

The  stone  has  a  specific  gravity  of  2,595,  weighing  162  pounds  per 
cubic  foot. 

All  the  above  tests  were  made  on  samples  from  the  quarries  of 
the  Lumberville  Granite  Company,  and  published  in  their  circular. 

They  show  a  stone  of  hardness  and  strength,  about  the  same  as  the 
Laurel  Run  and  White  Haven  red  stone. 

The  Lumberville  stone  has  been  used  extensively  in  Philadelphia 
for  r.'ilgian  blocks  in  paving -along  the  street  car  lines.  Its  hard- 
ness makes  it  stand  the  wear  remarkably  well,  the  granularity  pre- 
vents it  from  growing  slippery  and  the  straight  grain  assists  in  the 
splitting  of  the  stone  into  proper  dimensions. 

Experience  appears  to  sustain  the  results  indicated  by  the  forego- 
ing tests.  L.  M.  Haupt,  civil  engineer  (Company's  Circular),  says  that 
he  has  examined  the  pavement  on  Chestnut  street,  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  that  has  been  down  about  eight  years  and  subject  to 
the  heavy  traffic  of  that  business  street  and  finds  no  appreciable 
signs  of  wear,  many  of  the  blocks  showing  the  original  quarry  marks. 

The  making  and  shipping  of  these  blocks  have  been  carried  on 
quite  extensively  at  this  place. 

It  has  been  used  to  some  extent  for  building  in  different  places, 
St.  John's  College.  Brooklyn;  Mr.  Rodenbausrhls  llnouse,  Easton.  and 
Mr.  Robert  Wright's  home  in  Allentown,  being  some  of  the  buildings 
constructed  of  it.  Others  are  enumerated  in  the  table  on  p.  39. 

The  stone  is  nearly  all  shipped  by  boat  on  the  Delaware  division  of 
the  Lehigh  canal,  which  is  a  ready  means  of  transportation  to  Phila- 

*Made  in  the  department  of  tests,  Stevens  Institute  of  Technology,  at  Hobo- 
ken,  New  Jersey. 


90  APPENDIX— ANNUAL   UUP(  MIT  Off.    DOC. 

delphia.  Gamidieii  and  intermediate  points  along  the  Delaware  valley, 
as  well  as  towns  up  the  Lehigh  valley. The  Lumberville  (Jranile 
Company  has  fitted  up  a  wire  cable  way  across  the  river  to  the  Belvi- 
dere  division  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  by  nrcans  of  which  stone 
can  be  delivered  o-n  the  cars  with  great  rapidity. 

There  are  six  or  more  openings,  all  located  along  the  banks  of  the 
canal  on  the  west  (south)  side  of  the  Delaware  river. 

The  two  upper,  most  westerly,  openings  belong  to  the  Lumberville 
Granite  Company,  which  is  the  largest  producer  in  this  locality. 
The  upper  opening,  which  is  now  abandoned,  has  50  or  <»0  i'eet  of 
stone  exposed,  'and  in  one  place  an  opening  of  considerable  extent 
below  the  quarry  floor,  now  filled  with  water.  There  are  numerous 
seams  in  a  northeast-southwest  direction,  cutting  (he  stone  into 
rather  small  dimensions.  There  is  a  bed  of  shale  overlying  the 
sandstone,  and  one  lenticular  streak  of  shale  in  the  body  of  the 
stone. 

The  next  o-pening,  which  is  being  worked  at  the  present  time,  is 
separated  from  the  first  mentioned  by  a  wall  .'JO  to  40  feet  thick, 
called  by  the  operator  the  "Ragged  Edge,"  consisting  of  stone  much 
seamed  and  broken.  The  hill  is  mucli  higher  at  this  point  hence  a 
much  greater  thickness  of  the  stone  is  worked.  It  is  said  to  be  135 
feet  at  the  highest  point  of  the  quarry  fac;>.  The  seams  are  further 
apart  than  in  the  other  opening,  hence  Ihe  stone  occurs  in  larger 
dimensions.  There  is  a  lens-shaped  mass  of  red  shale  in  one  place 
in  the  quarry  face  and  on  another  place  an  irregular  mass  of  dark 
colored  shale.  The  rock  varies  considerably  in  lexiure,  having  streaks 
of  conglomerate  interspersed  witJhi  fine  grained  stone.  By  having 
a  large  quarry  face  and  taking  the  stone  out  in  large  quantities  it  is 
possible  to  select  material  uniform  in  grain  and  color.  Much  of  the 
stone  has  been  used  as  paving  blocks. 

The  next  quarry,  the  first  one  below  the  grist  mill,  belongs  to  W. 
F.  Paxson.  It  occurs  in  strata  tying  underneath  those  in  the  quar- 
rios  above  mentioned.  The  hill  is  not  so  abrupt  at  this  point  and  the 
quarry  face  not  so  high,  being  40  to  50  feet.  There  is  about  30  feet 
of  purplish  gray  stone  at  the  base,  overlain  by  6  to  10  feet  of  red 
shale,  followed  by  a  constantly  increased  thickness  of  light  colored 
shelly  sandstone  with  many  seams.  As  in  the  other  quarries,  the 
stone  is  not  uniform  throughout,  having  streaks  of  conglomerate 
and  shale,  but  t'he  greater  part  of  the  bed  is  stone  of  good  quality. 
Plati^  23  gives  a  view  in  this  quarry  showing  its  proximity  to  the 
canal  and  facilities  for  loading  and  shipping.  Much  of  the  stone 
from  Paxson's  quarry  is  used  for  building. 

The  next  two  openings  toward  the  east  were  made  by  Thomas 
Conner,  of  Centre  Bridge.  He  furnished  some  cut  stone  for  Fairmount 
Park,  Philadelphia,  but  all  the  remainder  of  the  stone  from  his  quar- 


PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  91 

ries  was  used  for  common  rubble  masonry,  shipped  by  boat 
and  sold  by  the  perch  in  Philadelphia  and  Camden.  The  stone  is 
sornewlhat  similar  to  that  in  the  quarries  above  mentioned,  but  there 
is  a  much  heavier  stripping  and  more  shale  and  conglomerate  mixed 
in  the  stone. 

The  next  two  openings  to  the  east  are  said  !o  have  been  made 
by  J.  M.  Samsell,  of  Mt.  Pleasant.  The  face  of  the  quarry  shows 
from  50  to  80  feet  of  stone,  3  to  20  feet  of  weathered  shelly  material 
at  the  top.  The  upper  half  of  the  quarry  contains  many  more  seams 
I'liian  the  lower  half,  due  to  the  weathering  influences. 

There  is  said  to  be  a  small  quarry  above  Lumberville  which  pro- 
duces crushed  stone.  There  are  several  quarries  on  the  New  Jersey 
side  of  the  river  at  Raven  Rock  and  Stockton.  (Described  later  un- 
der the  head  of  New  Jersey.) 


D.    TBE  MAUCH  CHUNK  RFD  STONE. 

The  Mauch  Chunk  red  shale  or  the  "red  shale,"  as  it  is  frequently 
called  throughout  the  eta-stern  part  of  the  State,  occurs  in  the  Lower 
Carboniferous  rocks,  immediately  underneath  the  heavy  beds  of 
Pottsville  conglomerate  which  forms  the  ba.se  of  the  Coal  Measures. 
While  it  is  largely  composed  of  a  bright  red  shale,  in  many  localities, 
notably  along  the  eastern  borders  of  the  area,  there  is  a  great  deal 
of  hard  red  and  brown  quartzitic  sandstone,  and  conglomerate. 

The  red  quart/ite  cr  quartzitic  sandstone  is  as  brown  and  in  that 
sense  a.s  much  of  a  brownstone  as  that  in  the  New  Red  or  Mesozoic 
age.  It  differs  greatly,  however,  in  its  physical  character  from  much 
of  the  brownstone  in  the  markets,  but  it  must  be  remembered  thai 
there  are  great  variations  in  the  brownstone  of  the  Neivv  Red  forma- 
tion. So  far  as  the  economic  use  of  the  stone  is  concerned  this  is 
as  much  a  brownstone  as  though  it  came  from  the  rocks  of  Meso- 
zoic age. 

Na  m  The  stone  is  very  hard  as  compared  with  sandstone,  as 
already  stated.  So  hard  is  it  that  one  of  the  quarries  markets  it 
as  red  "granite;"  another  does  not  go  quite  so  far,  but  calls  it  simply 
"red  stone."  There  is  the  same  reason  for  using  the  term  granite  in- 
slead  of  sandstone  here  as  at  Lumberville,  namely  that  the  sand 
stone  cutters  refuse  to  cut  the  stone,  saying  emphatically  that  it  is 
not  sandstone  and  the  ordinary  sandstone  tools  will  not  cut  it. 
While  it  is  more  easily  broken  and  chipped  than  granite, 
bably  as  hard  to  cut  and  finish,  and  takes  similar  tools. 
ments  for  cutting  and  dressing  the  stone  must  be 


v 
\ 

%& 


92  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doe. 

basis,  it  naturally  follows  that  it  takes  the  name  granite  which  is 
exceedingly  unfortunate  as  the  nomenclature  of  building  stones  is 
sufficiently  confusing  already.  The  stone  is  properly  a  quartzite  or 
quartzitic  sandstone,  terms  while  not  common  in  the  market  are  not 
unknown,  or  difficult  of  interpretation,  and  the  use  of  them  will 
avoid  widening  the  use  of  the  word  granite  which  already  includes 
(in  the  stone  market)  a  great  many  varieties  of  rock. 

Description. —  Like  all  quartzites,  it  is  very  hard  compared  with 
common  sandstone.  Quartzite  differs  from  common  sandstone  in 
having  a  greater  proportion  of  siliceous  cement,  which  being  harder 
than  the  clay  or  iron  oxide  cement,  binds  the  grains  of  sand  more 
firmly  together.  It  may  grade  imperceptibly  from  the  friable  sand- 
stone on  the  one  hand  into  compact  quartz  in  which  the  original 
grains  are  no  longer  perceptible  on  the  other.  The  quartzite  of  the 
Mauch  Chunk  formation  shows  the  separate  grains  quite  distinctly, 
but  they  are  very  firmly  bound  together  and  there  is  nothing  friable 
or  crumbling  about  it.  In  some  cases  the  hardness  is  due  to  a  car- 
bonate, presumably  calcite,  cement  which  appears  in  considerable 
quantities  in  the  microscopic 'examination.  The  stone  is  not  quite 
so  hard  as  the  Sioux  Falls,  Dakota,  quartzite,  much  used  in  the 
western  markets,  and  apparently  about  equal  in  hardness  to  the  Pots- 
dam stone  from  Potsdam,  New  York.  Its  hardness  is  indicated  by 
its  great  crushing  strength  which  surpasses  that  of  many  of  the 
granites. 

The  stone  is  distinctly  stratified  occurring  in  layers  from  a  few 
inches  to  several  feet  in  thickness.  In  most  places  the  upper  layers 
and  face  of  the  stone  at  the  outcrop  are  in  thin  layers  which  in  al- 
most every  instance  thicken  towards  the  interior  of  the  bed.  In  some 
places  the  thin  layers  extend  to  a  greater  depth  than  in  other  local- 
ities close  by,  and  are  in  all  cases  the  result  of  the  weathering  influ- 
ences opening  the  incipient  bedding  seams.  As  these  thin  layers 
make  excellent  flagstone  they  are  a  desirable  feature  much  sought 
after. 

In  many  places  the  rock  contains  false  bedding  quite  pronounced, 
but  unlike  false  bedding  in  many  rocks,  it  is  so  regular  and  even  that 
for  quarrying  purposes  it  takes  the  place  of  true  bedding  and  in 
several  places  the  parting  seams  in  the  flagstone  are  on  the  false 
bedding  planes  which  are  as  regular  and  produce  as  nice  flags  as  the 
true  bedding,  but  naturally  have  more  waste  in  working  them.  (See 
Fiir.  1,  p.  17.) 

The  color  is  various  shades  of  red,  but  with  the  exception  of  a  faint 
banding  in  many  places  it  is  generally  uniform  at  any  one  locality. 
It  is  in  general  lighter  and  brighter  than  the  average  brownstone, 
although  it  has  a  deep  brownish  red  color  in  places.  The  faint 
banding  is  very  common,  the  bands  running  with  the  grr.in  or  bed 
of  the  rock,  which  is  sometimes  with  the  true  bedding  of  the  rock, 
but  in  many  places  with  the  false  bedding. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEriK.  93 

Chemical  composition,  of  the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Stone  —  The  stone 
is  verv  highly  siliceous,  having  a  higher  percentage  of  silica  than  the 
average  sandstone  and  about  equal  to  the  average  quartzite,  as  may 
be  seen  by  comparing  the  analyses  in  the  table  on  page  13.  The  two 
analyses  given  below  are  the  only  ones  that  have  been  madw  as  far  as 
<-ould  be  ascertained.  The  first,  made  at  Cornell  University,  N.  Y., 
is  of  the  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone,  from  the  quarry  managed  at  the  time 
by  Gen.  P.  A.  Oliver,  now  worked  by  J.  A.  Schmitt.  The  other  is  the 
White  Haven  stone,  "Red  Granite,"  from  Mr.  Daneker's  quarries, 
made  in  the  Crane  Iron  Company's  laboratory: 

Analysis  of  ilie  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone. 

Silica    (SiO2), 94.00/ 

Iron  oxide  (Fe2O3) .  1  ,t)S 

Lime    (CaO), 1.1.0 

Magnesia   (MgO), 1.00 

Volatile  matter,  water  and  carbonic  acid, l.!>2 

Alumina  and  manganese,   

Total, 100.00 

Analysis  of  red  qairtzite   ("red  granite")   from  Jokn   A.  Daneker's 
quarry,  Wliite  Haven,  Pennsylvania. 

Silica    (SiO2), 90.360 

Protoxide  of  iron  (FeO),* 1.147 

Alumina   (A12O3), ±17:* 

Metallic   iron    (Fe), 803 

Lime   (CaO), • 2. 

Magnesia    (MgO), Trace. 

Physical  tests:  weight,  absorption  and  strength^ — The  stone  has 
a  specific  gravity  of  2.656,  equal  to  a  weight  of  166  pounds  per  cubic 
foot.  This  represents  an  average  of  25  samples,  which  range  from 
2.58.6  (the  only  one  below  2.6),  the  lowest  to-  2.723,  the  highest,  20  o* 
The  25  being  between  2.6  and  2.7,  one  below  2.6  and  four  above  2.7. 

The  ratio  of  absorption  after  immersion  in  water  20  days  is  less 
than  one  per  cent.  For  the  stone  in  its  natural  condition  the  rate  is 
.11  per  cent.,  for  artificially  dried  stone  it  is  .365  per  cent.,  which  is 
far  below  the  average  of  sandstone. 

Tests  on  the  Laurel  Run  Red  stone  at  Cornell  on  12  two-inch  cubes 
gave  an  average  crushing  strength  of  1.7, ('40  pivunds  p:»r  squarr  inch 
ranging  from  14,200,  the  lowest,  to  23,600,  the  highest.  One  three- 
inch  cube,  and  two  four-inch  cubes  were  not  broken  under  a  pressure 
of  50,000  pounds. 

*$o  fdven  in  the  copy  of  the  analysis,  apparently  a  mistake   for  peroxide,  as 
indicated   bo  h  by  percentage  or'  metallic   iron  and   t'he  red   f-olor  of  t'i^  st  >n   . 
tData  under  this  head  almost  entirely  from  tests  made  at  Cornell  University. 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT 


Off.  Doc. 


Thus  it  will  be  noticed  by  comparing  with  other  stones  on  page  :*><). 
that  this  is  much  higher  than  any  of  the  common  sandstones  and 
much  like  that  for  quartzites  and  quartzitic  sandstones. 

Its  transverse  strength  in  which  this  stone  surpasses  all  common 
sandstones,  and  which  is  a  necessary  property  in  such  positions  as 
sills,  lintels,  facings  and  steps,  is  shown  in  the  following  tests  made 
at  Cornell,  on  the  Laurel  Bun  Red  Stone. 

Deflection  test  on  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone. 


No, 

200  Ibs. 

400 

600 

800 

1.000              1,200 

1.400 

1.600 

2 

0.015 

0.025 

0.033 

0.042 

0.063              0.073 

0.088 

Broken. 

No. 

900 

1,100 

1,300 

1,500 

1,700 

1,900 

2,100 
0.098 

2,500 

3 

0.010 

0.022 

0.046 

0.052 

0.066 

0.072 

0.148 

No. 
3 

2,700 

2.900 

3,100 

3,700 

3,900 

4,100 

4,300 
0.306 

Broken. 

0.156 

0.160 

0.208 

0.276 

0.294 

0.812 

Shearing  teat  on  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone. 

Block  2.00  x  2.00  c .  in  double  shear  over  area  of  4.5  sq.  In. 


Load,     .   . 

500 

1,000 

1.500 

2,000 

2,500 

3,000 

3  500 

Uef  

0.48 

.078 

.100 

.114 

.132 

.156 

.188 

Load,     .  . 

4.000 

4,500 

5,000 

5,500 

6,000 

6.500 

7,000 

7,500 

Def.,      .   . 

.198 

.214 

.232 

.240 

.256 

.276 

.286 

.304 

Frost  test  on  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone. 

(Test  hy  hot  immersion. ) 


No. 

Weight  cold. 

Weight  after  immersion. 

Loss  in  weight. 

Per  cent. 

1 

131.826 

131.670 

0.156 

0.12 

2 

145.6^9 

145.515 

0.154 

0.11 

3 

118.348 

118.  OOi 

0.346 

0.29 

4 

144.360 

143.985 

0.375 

0.26 

Frost  test  on  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone. 

(Test  by  Brard's  Method.) 


No. 


Weight  in  air. 


125.748 
9(5.314 


Weight  dried  1  day. 

Weight  dried  3  days. 

Loss. 

Per  cent. 

125.831 
96.871 

125  C,70 
96.  165 

0.018 
0.149 

0  06 
0.15 

NOTE.-  Tn  the  test  by  hot  immersion,  Nos.  3  and  4  had  been  previously  saturated  with  water,  so  that 
the  test  was  especially  severe  and  represented  a  maximum  effect. 


PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  COLLEGE. 

Absorption  feds  on  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone. 


No. 

WeUhtin 
air. 

Weight  wet. 

Afier  one  day. 

Two  days. 

Twenty  days. 

Loss. 

Per 
cent. 

1  .  . 

1  Ofi.  224 

106.383 

100  512 

100.485 

100.590 

0.313 

.29 

'Z.   .    . 

123.  290 

123.370 

123.830 

123.874 

124.173 

0.80H 

.65 

3. 

114.281 

144.H76 

144  014 

144.040 

144.670 

0.2y» 

.21 

4,   .    . 

12t>  883 

120  946 

127.220 

127  291 

127  341 

0  395 

.31 

5,   .    . 

130  294 

130.370 

130.475 

130.405 

136.520 

0  144 

.10 

t;.  .  . 

94.580 

94.050 

94.68*5 

94  765 

94.740 

0  OW) 

.09 

7, 

!  18.  000 

118.  '80 

HS.riOO 

118.690 

118.075 

0  195 

.16 

8,  .   . 

114.590 

114.055 

114.793 

114  832 

114.813 

0.128 

.11 

NOTE.—  Xos.  1,  2.  3  and  4  were  artlttcially  dried  before  testing.     Nos.  5,  6,  7an<i  8  were  just  as  re- 

ceived. 

Compression  tests  on  Laurel  Run  Red  S*one. 


Number. 

Deflect  at  0  Ibs. 

1,000  Ibs. 

2,  000  Ibs. 

3,  000  Ibs. 

5,  000  Ibs. 

H  

0  000 

0  003 

0.011 

15 

0  000 

0  051 

0  051 

0  029 

Number. 

10.000 

15,000 

20.QOO 

25.000 

30,000 

35,000 

40,000 

45,000 

50.000 

13    . 
15,  . 

0.028 
0  021 

0  020 
0  047 

0.020 
0.055 

0.034 
0  005 

0.013 
0.009 

0.011 
0  U55 

0.026 
0.045 

0.019 
0  057 

0  02* 
0  075 

Crushing  tests  on  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone. 


Number. 

Area. 

Crushing  load. 

Load  per  square 
Inch. 

Remarks. 

1 

2  20 

44  500 

20  200 

2                  ... 

2  12 

35  400 

10  700 

3  
4  

2.07 
1  99 

33,  300 
47.500 

10.000 
23  000 

£> 

o  c 

2  22 

37  000 

16  700 

6,     ...... 

2  10 

35  000 

17  000 

i-  ty 

2.22 

31  000 

14  2dC 

7* 

8,     ... 

2  25 

40  000 

15  500 

C  a! 

9  

2  25 

48  600 

21  500 

<•    go- 

10,     .-  
11  

2  22 
2  25 

34.000 
47  500 

15,000 
21  000 

"     2 

12,     

2  25 

32  500 

14  400 

Broken  along  bed 

13  

4.45 

50  000 

Not  broken. 

14. 

4  20 

50  000 

15.     

3  43 

50  000 

Not  broken. 

Flexure  tests  on  Laurel  Run  Rtd  Stone. 


Number. 

Area  of  section. 

Between  supports. 

Breaking  load. 

1,    

2  03  (b)  x  1.50  (h) 

7  inch. 

1  600  Ibs. 

2  
3,    ...                 ... 

1.99x1  47 
2  00  x  2  05 

7  inch 
5  inch. 

1,400  Ibs. 
4,500  Ibs 

In  the  assay  laboratory  at  State  College  several  samples  from  the 
Laurel  Kun  and  the  White  Haven  quarries  were  tested  in  the  fur- 
nace to  ascertain  their  fire-resisliiig  propei  lies.  They  were  first 
heated  to  700  degrees  Fa.li.  then  1,150  degrees  and  then  1,600  degrees 
and  some  even  higher.  Some  were  cooled  in  air  and  some  thrown  in 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT 


Off.   Doc. 


cold  water.  Only  one  of  the  specimens  was  cracked,  the  others  show- 
ing no  injury  in  the  texture,  but  those  at  the  high  temperature,  1,600, 
changed  color  perceptibly,  the  rait  her  bright  red  turning  to  a  pale, 
brownisih  red,  the  tests  pro'ving  that  if  not  absolutely  fire  proof  the 
stone  stands  the  fire  remarkably  well,  and  is  entitled  to  rank  among 
the  fire  proof  stones. 

Microscopic  character   of    the  Maucli   Chunk  Red  Stone m — The-  ar- 
companying  figure  (fig.  8)  shows  some  of  the  different  types  of  tex- 


Fig.  8.— Micro-drawings— enlarged  44  diameters— of  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  stone. 
Cross-lined  areas  clay  with  finely  granular  quartz,  dotted  areas  calcite,  clear  areas 
quartz.  Typical  quartette  grain  in  middle  No.  1.  No.  4,  an  exceptional  calcareous 
area.  All  show  the  interlocking  of  the  quartz  grains. 

tn  re  taken  from  rocks  of  different  quarries,  but  the  texture  is  by  no 
means  uniform  at  any  one  locality  or  at  any  one  quarry,  or  in  fact  in 
a  single  specimen,  (See  also  No.  2  on  Plate  1.)  No.  1  on  figure  8  is 
from  the  Laurel  Run  quarries  and  shows  a  typical  quart  zite  grain  in 
the  midst  of  the  section,  with  an  old  sand  grain  in  the  interior  sin- 
rounded  by  secondary  quartz  oriented  with  the  enclosed  grain.  Sec- 
ondary quartz  is  shown  elsewhere  in  the  figure  and  (he  dotted  areas 
are  carbonate  (presumably  calcite)  cement,  which  makes  a  rork 
nearly  as  hard  as  the  quartz  cemeni.  No.  L>  is  from  the  same  quarry 
and  shows  some  Ciay  in  the  interstices  possibly  from  feldspar  decay- 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  97 

ed  in  place.  No.  3  is  from  Daneker's  White  Haven  quarries  and 
shows  a  greater  percentage  of  clay,  but  still  retaining  the  qiiarl/ite 
character  by  the  interlocking  of  the  quartz  grains  with  secondary 
quart/,.  No.  4  is  from  Cooper's  quarry  and  shows  the  predominance 
of  the  calcite  cement  making  really  a  calcareous  sandstone.  Ho\\ 
ever,  similar  calcareous  areas  may  be  found  in  the  sections  from  the 
other  quarries. 

Durability. — The  stone  if  properly  selected  is  one  of  the  most 
durable  ones  in  the  State.  This  is  indicated  by  1.  The  chemical 
analysis  which  shows  it  to  be  nearly  all  quart/,  one  of  the  most 
durable  of  minerals.  2.  Its  texture,  which  is  close-grained,  com- 
pact, and  almost  wholly  nion-'abso'rbaiit.  3.  The  outcrops  which  fre- 
quently form  bold  ledges,  even  hills  of  prominence  through  the  re- 
gion in  which  it  occurs.  4.  The  glacial  boulders  which  over  this  area 
are  in  many  places  nearly  all  this  red  quartzite  and  almost  invann 
bly  have  a  hard,  smooth  surface  with  no  evidence  of  disintegration 
after  their  hard  freezing  and  many  centuries  of  exposure. 

Artificial  tests  made  in  the  Cornell  laboratory  as  shown  on  the 
preceding  pages,  also  indicate  great  durability;  four  samiples  in  the 
hot  immersion  test,  showing  a  loss  less  than  a  quarter  of  one  per 
cent.  0.12,  0.11,  0.29  and  0.26  respectively.  Bmrd's  frost  test  showed 
a  loss  even  less  two  samples  giving  0.06  and  0.15  per  cent. 

Uses  and  adaptability. — The  stone  has  been  used  for  buildings, 
bo  Hi  facings  and  trimmings,  pavements  both  foot  and  street,  for 
bridges,  retaining  walls  and  foundations.  The  flagging  forms  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  product  and  is  much  sought  after.  A  large  part 
of  the  product  goes  into  Belgian  blocks  for  paving  streets.  It  is 
said  to  be  superior  to  granite  in  this  respect. 

It  is  not  a  first  class  stone  for  all  varieties  of  building  work.  II  s 
great  hardness  does  not  adapt  it  to  any  class  of  work  that  requires 
much  cutting  or  dressing.  However,  it  is  claimed  by  workmen  that 
this  difficulty  disappears  in  part  with  familiarity  with  the  stone.* 
The  even  regular  bedding  and  the  ease  with  which  the  stone  can  be 
chipped,  along  with  the  smooth  compact  texture  and  pleasing  color 
adapt  it  to  rock-faced  ashlar,  either  coursed  or  uncoursed.  It  is  su- 
perior to  many  other  building  stones  in  having  such  a  hard  close 
texture  that  dust  and  vegetation  do  not  disfigure  it.  The  hard, 

Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  April  4th,  1890. 

*In  all  my  experience  as  a  stone-cutter,  I  have  not  met  with  a  stone  so  hard 
as  the  Laurel  Run  Red  Scone,  that  I  can  manage  as  easily  as  I  can  the  Laurel 
Run  Red  Stone.  A  man  unacquainted  with  the  stone  will  say,  on  first  attempt 
t'i  cut  it,  that  it  is  an  unpleasant  stone  ,to  cut.  This  impression  will,  after  a  few 
days  or  weeks  experience  be  changed,  and  he  will  notice  that  after  his  days 
work  is  done,  he  is  not  so  tired  as  he  was  when  he  cut  the  soft  sand  stones  or 
granite.  It  requires  a  peculiar  manipulation  of  the  tools,  and  when  once  ac- 
quired, it  is  not  hard  work.  I  like  to  cut  Red  Stone,  I  have  been  cutting  it  for 
seven  years  or  more. 

Yours  truly, 

JAMES   TEMPLETON. 

7  A-22-96 


98  APPENDIX— ANNUAL.  REPORT  Off.  Doc. 

rather  glassy  appearance  of  the  stone  is  against  its  universal  use  as 
a  building  stone  even  though  it  could  be  easily  wrought.  Some  of 
the  accompanying  illustrations  show  the  architectural  appearance  of 
the  stone.  While  not  an  ideal  building  stone,  it  is  a  very  good  one, 
and  will  likely  be  used  in  considerable  quantities  for  that  purpnse. 
It  will  never  have  an  extensive  use  because  of  the  opposition  from 
the  stone-cutters. 

It  is  best  adapted  to  street  work  and  should  be  used  more  ex- 
tensively for  that  purpose.  It  is  admirably  adapted  to  this  work 
for  curbing,  crossings,  Belgian  blocks,  flagging  or  crushed  stone.  It 
furnishes  an  almost  ideal  flag  stone  where  it  occurs  in  thin  sheets, 
being  hard,  strong,  and  not  breaking  easily,  and  would  practically 
never  wear  out  or  wear  (ais  smooth  as  limestone  or  granite,  nor  is  it 
so  readily  soiled  or  discolored  as  a  lighter  colored  stone.  For  Bel- 
gian blocks  it  is  eminently  suited,  being  very  hard,  yet  easily  chip- 
ped into  shape,  does  not  wear  rapidly  or  wear  smooth. 

Methods  of  quarrying. — The  work  throughout  the  area  is  largely 
done  by  hand.  Holes  are  drilled  by  hand  and  charged  with  powder, 
blasting  oft'  large  blocks  of  the  stone,  which  are  broken  up  with 
heavy  hammers  and  trimmed  with  hand  hammers  into  Belgian  blocks 
of  standard  size  or  cut  by  hand  into  the  proper  form  for  curbing  or 
dimension  stone.  Most  of  the  derricks  are  of  hand  power,  only  a  few 
horse  power  and  but  one  steam  power,  although  Mr.  Daneker  at 
White  Haven  is  daily  (Sept.,  '!)(>)  expecting  steam  hoist  and  stea.ni 
drill.  He  also  contemplates  a  saw  mill  to  be  run  by  water  power 
to  saw  the  stone  into  shape.  The  steam  drill  and  steam  hoist  are 
used  in  the  Laurel  Bun  quarries  in  connection  with  the  Knox  blast- 
ing system. 

Distribution. — The  distribution  of  the  Mauch  Chunk  formation  in 
the  State  is  shown  in  part  on  the  accompanying  map  (frontispiece.) 
Besides  the  area  on  the  map  this  formation  has  quite  an  extended 
linear  out  crop  through  the  north-central  and  the  southwest  part' of 
the  State,  but  so  far  as  known  to  the  writer  there  is,  with  probably 
one  exception,  no  sandstone  or  quartzite  of  commercial  value  in  this 
part  of  the  area.  In  fact  in  only  a  small  part  of  the  area  shown  is  t'lu1 
quartzite  known  to  occur,  as  the  greater  part  of  the  formation  is  of 
red  shale.  So  far  as  known  the  only  places  it  has  been  quarried  are 
Mocanaqua;  the  Elbow,  near  Mt.  Park,  Wilkes-Barre;  Laurel  Run; 
and  along  the  Lehigh  valley  from  two  miles  or  more  above  White 
Haven  to  Hickory  Creek  several  miles  below  White  Haven.  A 
quarry  near  Rockwood,  Somerset  county,  Pa.,  may  be  in  this  forma- 
tion. 

Local  detai's  of  the  Mauch  Chunk  Red  Stone. 

White  Haven. — While  the  red  quartzite  occurs  abundantly  in  the 
village  .of  White  Haven,  the  regular  quarries  of  the  stone  are  some 
distance  from  the  town,  both  south  and  north,  in  the  Lehigh  valley. 


Brownstonea  of  Pennsylvania. 


Plate  XXIV. 


Reiser  and  Dolaml's  quarry. 


Cooper's  flagstone  quarry. 

Quarries  in  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  formation  alonj*  Ihe  Lehigh  river  below 

White  Haven. 


No.   -1-L  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE    COLLEGE.  99 

The  largest  producing  quarries  are  about  two  miles  north  of  the 
town  and  belong  to  John  Daneker,  who  has  quarried  stone  here 
since  1873.  For  17  years  he  wagoned  the  product  to  White  Haven 
and  shipped  from  there  by  railroad.  In  1890,  he  constructed  a  short 
branch  railway  from  the  Lehigh  Valley  railroad  to  one  of  his  quar- 
ries, and  later  from  the  Central  Railroad1  of  New  Jersey  to  the  other, 
iiiid  can  now  ship  by  rail  direct  from  his  quarries  by  either  railroad, 
lie  shipped  more  stone  in  1890,  the  first  year  he  had  the  railway  in 
the  quarry,  than  in  all  the  previous  years  together.  Heretofore  the 
w  ark  has  been  done  by  hand,  but  a  steam  drill  and  a  steam  hoist  has 
been  ordered  and  daily  expected  (September,  1896),  after  which  the 
stone  can  be  handled  more  rapidly  and  presumably  will  be  worked 
more  extensively.  He  contemplates  adding  a  saw  mill,  to  be  run 
by  water  power  on  the  creek  that  passes  the  quarry.  It  is  very 
doubtful  if  a  stone  as  hard  as  this  can  be  sawed  with  profit. 

The  work  so  far  has  been  largely  surface  work,  none  of  the  open- 
ings penetrating  to  any  depth,  but  scattered  over  a  large  area.  They 
may  be  divided  into  two  groups,  one  group  being  scattered  along  the 
west  bank  of  the  Lehigh  river,  and  another  along  the  east  bank  of  a, 
small  creek  nearly  a  mile  from  the  river.  Plate  25  shows  views  in 
these  quarries.  The  ones  on  the  creek  bluff  have  beem  worked  more 
extensively  than  the  others.  There  were  -apparently  at  one  time  a 
number  of  openings  along  the  low  bluff,  but  they  are  now  nearly  all 
connected  into  a  continuous  opening,  seveiral  hundred  yards  in 
length. 

The  workable  stone  varies  in  thickness  from  15  to  30  feet  along  this 
bluff.  The  quality  of  the  stone  is  superior  towards  the  west  end, 
where  the  covering  is  also  the  heaviest.  The  inferior  quality  of  the 
stone  towards  the  east  end  has  caused  that  end  to.  be  abandoned. 

Much  of  the  flagstone  has  tha  parting  on  the  cross-bedding.  The 
layers  vary  somewhat  in  character  in  different  places.  What  is 
good  stone  in  one  place  is  too  shelly  and  seamy  in  another  part  of 
the  layer  to  be  valuable.  In  most  places  the  stone  is  sufficieintly 
thin  bedded  for  flagging  near  the  surface,  the  bedding  planes  disap- 
pearing away  from  the  outcrop  toward  the  interior  of  the  bed.  This 
is  probably  the  chief  reason  why  so  much  of  the  work  both  here  and 
elsewhere  is  confined  to  the  surface,  as  the  heavy  bedded  and  mas- 
sive stone  is  very  hard  to  work  by  hand. 

In  some  places  the  good  marketable  stone  appears  at  the  surface, 
while  in  other  places  it  is  covered  with  glacial  boulders,  sand  and 
gravel,  to  a  depth  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  three  or  four  feet. 
Frequently  from  two  to  six  feet  at  the  top  of  the  bed  will  be  shelly 
or  "wild"  and  thrown  out  with  the  waste,  but  in  some  places  the 
shelly  stone  is  wholly  lacking. 

The  quarries  on  the  river  show  a  much  greater  thickness  of  stone 


100  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  RMPUHT  uff.   Doc. 

than  the?  other  quarries,  but  they  have  been  more  .recently  opened, 
and  have  not  been  worked  so  extensively.  In  no  single  opening  was 
a  thickness  greater  than  50  feet  observed,  but  the  different  openings; 
are  on  different  layers,  so  that  the  total  thickness  shown  is  proba- 
bly 200  feet  or  more,  with  more  or  less  intercalary  shale.  The  strata 
dip  to  the  north  about  10  degrees,  so  that  the  underlying  layers  are 
met  in  going  south  along  the  railway  track.  Underneath  the  stone 
in  the  most  southern  opening  is  a  heavy  bed  of  red  shale,  which  con 
tains  conglomerate  in  places,  and  north  of  the  upper  opening  hard 
stone  outcrops  in  the  overlying  layers  at  least  as  far  as  the  bend 
of  the  river,  a  half  mile  or  more  above. 

A  section  of  the  face  at  the  north  opening  shows: 

4  to  6  feet  of  glaicial  material,  sand  and  boulders. 

20  feet  of  red  stone,  free  from  bands,  nearly  uniform  in  dolor. 
30  feet  of  faintly  striped  or  banded  red  stone;  some  cross  grain. 

5  feet  red  shale. 

Near  the  south  end  a  section  shows: 

10  feet  \vealhered  shaly  red  quartzito. 

\'2  feet  red  quartzite  with  numerous  seams. 

18  feet  clean  solid  red  quartzite,  with  remarkably  smooth  joint 
seams. 

12  feet  solid  red  quartzite. 

8  inches  striped  quartzite,  red  gray  and  dark  bands. 

The  striped  layers  at  the  base  appear  to  be  a  gradation  between 
shale  and  the  quartzite;,  and  while  the  freshly  exposed  stone  in  the 
quarry  appears  to  be  quite  hard  and  firm,  it  is  not  liable  to  prove  as 
durable  as  the  single  colored  stone. 

Near  the  south  end  of  the  ledge  there  are  great  numbers  of  clear 
quartz  crystals,  which  form  a  thick  coating  along  the  seams.  Most 
of  these  crystals  aire  small,  but  some  are  a  half  inch  or  more  in 
diameter.  They  are  almost  as  clear  as  those  from  Herkiomer  county, 
N.  Y.  So  far  as  observed  by  the  writer,  this  is  the  only  locality  in  the 
Mauch  Chunk  area  where  the  quartz  crystals!  occur  in  any  consider- 
able number. 

There  is  a  vast  quantity  of  this  red  stone  available  both  in  these 
openings  along  the  river  and  in  the  other  openings  described  above,  and 
everything  suggests  that  the  stone  industry  here  is  but  in  its  in- 
fancy. While  good  building  stone  is  available  it  is  probable  that  it 
will  always  be  secondary  to  the  production  of  Belgian  blocks,  flag- 
ging, curbing  and  broken  stone  work.  Thte  working  of  the  stone  is 
greatly  facilitated  by  the  even  parallel  joint  seams.  Mr.  Daneker  is 
now  filling  a  large  order  for  paving  blocks  to  Elmira,  N.  Y. 

John  Redington  and  Company's  quarry. — Redington  &  Company's 
quarry  is  a  half  mile  below  White  Haven,  near  the  top  of  the  hill 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Lehigh  river,  near  the  Lehigto  Valley  railroad, 


w 

f 


CfQ 


2 

X. 

I 

3 

I 

-1 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  101 

and  a  short  distance  north  of  Tannery  station.  The  quarry  has  a 
face  of  25  to  35  feet  of  red  quartzite,  overlain  by  a  few  feet  of  glacial 
material  and  underlain  by  red  shale.  In  places  there  is  a  thickness 
of  a  few  inches  to  two  or  three  feet  of  loose  shelly  rock  at  th'ei  top, 
while  at  other  places  the  rock  is  sound  to  the  top.  There  is  consid- 
erable cross  grain  running  in  different  directions  in  different  parts 
of  the  bed. 

Some  flagstone  has  been  obtained  near  the  surface,  but  none  in  the 
interior  of  the  bed  where  the  layers  are  heavier.  Nearly  all  the  pro- 
duct of  the  quarry  is  usecj  for  Belgian  blocks.  At  the  present  time 
(October,  1890),  they  are  shipping  blocks  to  Wilkes-Barre  on  an  order 
for  fifty  car  loads. 

The  quarry  has  been  operated  by  this  company  for  about  two  years 
and  was  run  by  other  parties  in  a  desultory  way  for  about  six  years 
previously.  The  company  is  not  doing  a  large  business,  but  appar- 
ently a  profitable  one.  The  quarry  is  kept  clean  and  in  good  shape. 

On  th'e  west  side  of  the  river  opposite  Redington  &  Co>'s.  quarry, 
is  a  quarry  opening,  now  idle,  said  to  belong  in  part  to  Mr.  Pox  and 
in  part  to  Mr.  Kennedy. 

Cooper  Brother's   quarry. — The  Cooper  Brothers'  quarry  is  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Lehigh  river,  below  the  Tannery.     Unlike  the  other 
quarries,  it  is  not  on  a  bluff,  but  on  the  nearly  level  top  of  the  hill, 
about  one-fourth  mile  back  from  the  river  and  the  railroad. 

The  top  of  the  hill  is  nearly  level  and  the  strata  are  here  nearly 
horizontal.  The  hill  has  been  planed  off  by  the  glaciers,  glacial 
striae  showing  in  a  number  of  places  bearing  South  5  degrees  West. 
There  is  in  most  places  a  thin  coating  of  glacial  material,  varying 
from  a  few  inches  to  a  few  feet  in  thickness,  consisting  of  sand  and 
a  great  many  slabs  of  the  red  quartzite  overlying  the  red  s/tone  in 
place. 

This  is  more  distinctly  a  flagstone  quarry  than  any  of  the  others  in 
the  vicinity,  and  the  product  of  the  quarry  is  almost  entirely  flag- 
stone. The  bottom  view  in  Plate  24  shows  the  flagstone  character 
of  the  stone.  The  stone  has  been  worked  to  a  depth  of  about  12  feet, 
and  comes  out  in  small  regular  flags  from  twio  to  six  inches  thick.  In 
some  places  near  the  surface  the  flags  are  sepairate,  and  it  is  only 
necessary  to  pry  them  up  and  break  them  into  the  required  dimen- 
sions; in  other  places  the  seams  are  not  open,  and  it  is  necessary  to 
wedge  the  slabs  loose  from  the  bed.  Mr.  Cooper  says  they  have 
raised  flags  from  25  to  85  feet  long,  but  most  of  it  is  in  smaller  di- 
mensions. Some  of  the  slabs  show  faint  ripple  marks.  The  quarry 
has  been  operated  by  the  Cooper  Brothers  since  1892,  and  while 
operated  on  a  small  scale,  the  product  has  been  increasing  each 
year  since  the  quarry  started. 

In  a  shallow  ravine  about  100  yards  south  of  the  flagstone  quarry, 
7  A 


102  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  off.  DOC. 

there  is  a  solid  ledge  of  the  quartzite  exposed  from  20  to  30  feet 
thick,  from  which  they  have  quarried  some  stone;  more  of  the  work 
done  here,  however,  has  been  on  the  boulders  which  have  broken 
loose  from  the  ledge.  Some  of  this  stone  is  of  a  deeper  red  than  the 
flagstone. 

Reiser  and  Doland's  quarry. — Still  further  down  the  Lehigh  Val- 
ley, below  Penn  Haven  Junction,  on  the  Central  Railroad  of  New 
Jersey,  is  another  red  stone  quarry  operated  by  Reiser  &  Doland,  of 
Wilkes-Barre.  The  product  of  the  quarry  has  been  increasing  in 
value  since  it  was  first  opened  in  1894. 

The  product  of  this  quarry  is  about  evenly  divided  between  flag- 
stone and  building  stone,  no  blocks  having  been  made  so  far.  The 
stone  is  nearly  all  shipped  to  Wilkes-Barre  where  it  is  used  for  pave- 
ments, steps,  platforms,  trimmings  for  brick  buildings,  foundations 
and  retaining  walls. 

The  face  of  the  quarry  runs  nearly  north  and  south,  and  parallel 
with  and  along  the  outcropping  ledges  of  the  strata,  with  dip  N.  10 
to  15  degrees.  The  thickness  of  the  stone  worked  is  about  15  to  20 
feet.  In  the  present  opening  there  is  more  flagstone  at  the  south 
end  where  the  work  is  nearer  the  outcrop,  in  places  the  flagstones 
being  only  two  or  three  inches  thick,  and  at  the  north  end  where  the 
opening  is  deeper,  the  rock  is  heavier  bedded,  and  for  the  most  part  a 
quite  uniform  chocolate  color,  almost  free  from  the  banding  so  com- 
mon in  many  places.  Shelly  quartzite  and  shale  outcrop  in  large 
quantities  underneath  the  bed  worked  in  the  quarry.  The  upper 
view  on  Plate  24  is  taken  from  near  the  south  end  of  the  quarry, 
looking  north  and  down  along  the  face  of  the  quarry  with  Lehigh 
river  in  the  distance. 

Laurel  Run  Red  Stone  quarries — The  Laurel  Run  Red  Stone  quar- 
ries are  at  Oliver's  Mills  on  the  Central  Railroad  of  New  Jersey, 
about  ten  miles  south  of  Wilkes-Barre.  The  quarries  are  along  the 
ridge  on  the  northwest  side  of  Laurel  Run,  a  branch  from  the  rail- 
road extending  into  the  quarries  300  yards  or  more.  The  stone  has 
been  quarried  along  the  face  of  the  blutf  lor  nearly  a  half  mile.  The 
northeast  end  belonging  to  General  Oliver  runs  in  a  northeast  direc- 
tion, and  is  now  worked  by  John  Schmitt,  of  Wilkes-Barre.  The 
southwest  end  running  S.  75  W.,  and  belonging  to  the  Hollenbach 
Coal  Company  and  the  Lehigh  and  Wilkes-Barre  Coal  Company,  is 
not  operated  at  present. 

The  stone  belongs  to  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  formation,  and  is  quite 
similar  in  its  general  character  to  the  stone  at  White  Haven.  The 
tests  given  on  page  94  are  on  stone  from  Olixer'<s  quarries. 

The  dip  of  the  strata  is  northwest  or  into  the  hill,  so  that  the  thick- 
ness of  the  stripping  increases  rapidly  as  the  stone  is  worked  back 
into  the  hill,  which  accounts  for  the  great  length  of  the  quarry  and 


Brownstonea  of  Penusylvani; 


Plate  XXVI. 


Quarry  face  in  John  Schmitt's  quarry. 


Part  of  face  in  Oliver's  quarry  showing  the  cross  bedding. 
Views  in  the  Laurel  Run  red  stone  quarries.     Showing  structural  features. 


nHIYZRSITY 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA    STATE   COLLEGE.  103 

the  narrowness  of  it  because  as  soon  as  the  thickness  of  the  stripping 
is  thought  to  be  too  great  to  be  removed  with  profit,  operations  are 
suspended  in  that  direction  and  extended  laterally.  The  thickness 
of  the  layers  quarried  is  about  20  to  25  feet.  The  overlying  material 
consists  of  a  softer,  crumbling  rook  overlain  in  turn  by  glacial  debris 
and  the  underlying  rock  is  concealed  by  debris. 

The  true  bedding  of  the  rock  is  very  faint,  scarcely  discernible  in 
some  places,  but  the  false  bedding  is  in  most  places  rather  pro- 
nounced, shown  generally  by  a  banding  along  the  false  bedding 
planes,  and  in  some  places  a  cleavage  or  parting  on  the  false  bed- 
ding, some  flagstone  being  formed  in  that  way.  The  false  bedding  in 
most  places  is  inclined  east  of  north,  but  in  a  few  places  it  dips  in 
different  directions,  as  shown  on  the  accompanying  photograph  Plate 
26,  and  drawing  in  Fig.  1,  page  17. 

Flagstone  occurs  in  nearly  all  places  on  the  outcrop,  the  effect  of 
exposure  apparently  being  to  open  the1  bedding  (in  most  instances 
false- bedding)  planes.  As  the  stone  is  quarried  back  from  the  out- 
crop, the  seams  become  less  numerous  and  finally  disappear,  and  the 
stone  becomes  solid  and  apparently  harder.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
drill  and  cut,  but  where  the  grain  is  straight  it  works  to  fairly  good 
advantage,  as  it  splits  straight  and  easily.  When  the  stone  is  massive 
and  cross-grained,  it  is  quite  difficult  to  work,  as  the  fracture  is  liable 
to  branch  off  on  the  false  bedding  in  unexpected  places. 

Most  of  the  stone  quarried  here  is  used  for  building  purposes  in 
\Vilkes-Barre,  some  of  the  finer  buildings  constructed  of  it  being  the 
St.  Nicholas  (rerman  Catholic  church  (see  Plate  4),  First  Presbyterian 
church,  Baptist  Ghapel  and  numerous  residences.  (See  list  on  page  40.) 
It  has  been  used  in  large  quantities  for  foundations  and  retain- 
ing walls  in  Wilkes-Barre.  Some  stone  was  shipped  to  Philadelphia 
by  General  Oliver,  but  the  venture  did  not  prove  profitable,  and  was 
not  repeated.  Much  of  the  broken  stone  and  waste  is  crushed  with 
a  steam  rock  crusher  and  used  for  concrete.  The  capacity  of  the 
crusher  isi  about  six  car  loads  per  day.  The  stone  is  adniirably 
adapted  for  this  purpose,  the  particlesi  being  so  hard  that  they  will 
resist  wear  where  subject  to  it,  and  are  equally  proof  against  attack 
by  acids  and  corroding  agencies. 

The  stone  will  no  doubt  continue  to  have  a  limited  use  for  building 
purposes,  but  it  will  never  be  extensive,  because  of  the  difficulty  in 
dressing  it,  and  the  opposition  from  the  stone-cutters.  It  is  well 
ad'apted  to  rock-face  ashlar  in  combination  with  other  building 
stones.  N'o  more  durable  stone  could  be  obtained  for  bridge  piers. 
Its  hardness  and  durability  make  it  an  admirable  stone  for  flagging, 
curbing  and  paving.  The  points  in  favor  of  its  more  extended  use 

7  A* 


104  APPENDIX— ANNUAL.  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

are  1,  great  durability;  2,  its  great  strength;  3.  its  beautiful  color;  4, 
large  and  small  dimensions;  5,  convenient  to  the  railway.  While  its 
disadvantages  are  1,  hardness;  2,  cross-grain;  3,  heavy  stripping;  4, 
limited  dumping  ground  because  of  the  railway  running  along  the 
side  of  the  steep  hill  just  below  the  quarry. 

The  Elbow. — At  the  Elbow  on  the  Central  Kailroad  of  New  Jersey, 
between  Laurel  Run  and  Mt.  Park,  considerable  red  stone  has  been 
quarried,  but  the  quarries  are  not  now  in  operation.  There  is  one 
opening  on  the  lower  (east)  side  of  the  railroad  on  a  steep  hillside 
overlooking  the  creek.  The  strata  dip  from  12  to  20  degrees  west  of 
north,  thus  crossing  the  track.  There  has  been  very  little  rock  re- 
moved from  the  upper  side  of  the  railway  on  account  of  there  being 
no  dumping  ground,  and  the  loose  rock  in  quarrying  rolling  on  the 
track  and  interfering  with  railway  travel.  The  thickness  of  the 
stone  quarried  varies  from  15  to  25  feet,  with  about  the  same  thick- 
ness of  stripping.  There  has  been  som-i?  flagstone  and  some  heavier 
stone  removed  which  shows  considerable  cross-bedding  in  places. 
No  particulars  are  at  hand  as  to  the  length  of  time  this  quarry  was 
open,  or  of  the  use  made  of  the  stone. 

Across  the  ravine  about  150  yards  east  of  the  Elbow  there  is  an- 
other opening  in  the  Mauch  Chunk  red  quartzite  that  has  been 
worked  over  an  area  of  about  20  or  25  yards  square,  with  a  maxi- 
mum depth  of  about  30  feet.  There  is  a  thickness  of  about  10  to  20 
feet,  from  which  nice  flagstone  two  to  four  inches  thick  was  obtained, 
the  beds  of  the  flagging  being  faintly  ripple  marked  in  places.  The 
upper  part  of  the  rock  exposed  at  the  opening  is*  full  of  seams  and 
cracks,  and  is  useless  as  building  stone.  Part  of  that  in  the  lower 
paii  t  of  the  bed  is  much  cross-grainied  and)  cannot  be  worked  to  ad- 
vantage, so  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  waste. 

There  is  another  small  opening,  belonging  to  Mr.  Parsons  about 
100  yards  east  of  the  one  last  mentioned  which  has  been  worked  by 
hand  on  a  small  scale  for  a  year  or  more.  A  hand  denrick  has  re- 
cently been  put  up  and  flagstone  is  being  removed. 

The  red  quartzite  outcrops  in  many  other  places  in  the  mountains 
south  of  Wilkes-Barre,  but  so  far  as  could  be  ascertained  it  is  not 
worked  at  any  other  point.  Mr.  Joseph  Hendler  who  has  a  large 
conglomerate  quarry  about  two  miles  east  of  the  Elbow,  claims  to 
have  a  very  promising  outcrop  of  red!  quartzite  easily  accessible  by 
railroad. 

Mocanaqua  — A  half  mile  above  Mocanaqua  Station,  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad,  opposite  Shickshinny,  is  a  quarry  in  the  Mauch 
Chunk  red  quairtzite  that  is  idle  at  present.  It  is  on  the  south  side 
of  the  north  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  river,  close  to  the  railroad1 — 


Xo.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA    STATE   COLLEGE.  106 

too  close  in  fact,  as  it  leaves  no  room  for  a  dump.  The  hill  is  here 
very  steep,  capped  with  the  coarse  Pottsville  conglomerate,  and  the 
quartzite  forms  a  bold  outcrop,  but  nol:  in  the  most  desirable  posi- 
tions for  quarrying,  as  the  steep  bluff  prevents  working  any  but  the 
surface  stone1,  and  the  railroad  and  river  along  the  base  interfere 
with  dumping  the  waste  material.  The  stone  varies  greatly  in  char- 
acter, thus  a  layer  that  is  good,  solid  flagstone  in  one  place  will  be 
quite  shaly  or  be  part  of  a  massive  ledge  only  a  few  yards  away. 
Near  the  east  end  of  the  quarry  opening  a  section  shows  25  feet  of 
rather  massive  quartzite,  but  shelly  on  the  surface,  underlain  by  10 
to  12  feet  of  solid  massive  quartzite,  underlain  by  12  feet  of  banded 
quartzite,  that  furnishes  flagstones  on  the  outcrop. 

Good  stone  in  sufficient  quantities  for  local  usage  could  be  ob- 
tained here  at  moderate  expense.  While  the  stone  is  very  hard  and 
in  heavy  layers  the  greater  part  of  it  has  an  easy  cleavage  parallel 
with  the  bedding.  Local  workmen  state  that  the  stone  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  work. 

hi  the  vicinity  of  Mocanaqua,Wilkes>-Barre  and  elsewhere  through- 
out the  anthracite  coal  region  the  hard,  massive,  Pottsville  conglom- 
erate has  been  quarried  for  use  in  bridge  piers  and  other  heavy 
masonry. 


PART  III.     BROWNSTONE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OUTSIDE 
OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 

Pennsylvania  has  a  larger  area  of  the  New  Red  formation  than  any 
other  one  of  the  eastern  states,  and  probably  has  as  many  or  "more 
brownstone  quarries,  but  most  of  the  openings  are  small,  of  only 
local  importance,  and  it  is  not  the  leading  state  in  the  value  of 
brownstone  produced. 

In  the  total  value  of  sandstones  produced  Pennsylvania  ranks 
second  in  the  Union,  Ohio  standing  far  in  the  lead.  But  brownstones 
while  forming  a  considerable  part  do  not  include  all  the  sandstones 
of  the  State.  There  is  much  gray  and  buff  stone  in  the  western  and 
central  portions.  Connecticut,  with  but  four  quarries,  ranks  first 
in  the  production  of  brownstone,  having  the  oldest  and  largest 
brownstone  quarries  in  the  United  States.  The  brownstone  product 
of  New  Jersey  is  probably  nearly  equal  to  that  of  Pennsylvania, 


106. 


APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT 


Off.  Doc. 


The  output  of  New  York,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan  forms  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  total  product. 


Fig.  9.— Showing  location  of  brownstone  quarries'in  the^United  States. 

As  the-  stone  from  these  different  quarries  meet  in  competition  in 
the  markets,  it  is  thought  advisable  to  give  a  brief  description  of 
them  in  this  report.* 

COLORADO. 

Several  shades  of  brownstone  said  to  be  of  good  quality  and  well 
adapted  to  building  purposes  occur  at  different  points  in  Colorado 
in  the  "Red  Beds"  (Lower  Trias). 

Quarries  have  been  opened  at  Manitou,  Bellevue,  Stout  Arkins, 
and  Lyons,  but  no  particulars  are  at  hand  as  to  whether  any  of  these 
are  or  are  not  in  operation  at  present. f 

CONNECTICUT. 

The  brownstone  quarries  at  Portland,  Connecticut,  are  the  oldest, 
largest  and  best  known  quarries  in  the  United  States.  So  extensive 
has  been  the  use  of  this  stone  that  in  many  places  the  terms  brown- 
stone,  Portland  and  Connecticut  stone  have  been  used  as  synony- 
mous terms. 


*The  Connecticut  quarries,  many  of  the  New  Jersey  and  the  Ohio  ones,  and 
all  of  the  Indiana  quarries,  have  been  visited  by  the  writer;  tha  descriptions  of 
the  others  have  been  obtained  by  personal  correspondence  and  interviews  wuh 
the  quarrymen,  dealers  and  others,  and  from  census  reports  and  such  other 
sources  of  information  as  could  be  found.  The  States  are  arranged  in  order 
alphabetically. 

|  V  brief  description  of  the  above  localities  is  given  by  Merrill  in  "Stones  for 
Building  and  Decoration,"  New  York,  1895. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  107 

The  miles  of  brownstone  fronts  in  New  York  and  other  eastern 
cities  attest  its  architectural  value  and  beauty.  The  many  scaling 
and  disintegrating  fronts  equally  well  illustrate  its  misuse. 

The  oldest  and  largest  quarries  are  at  Portland  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Connecticut  river,  opposite  Middletown,  and  near  the  center 
of  the  state,  where  stone  has  been  quarried  for  200  years  or  more. 
The  oldest  authentic  record  of  the  operation  of  these  quarries  is  a 
mention  of  them  in  the  record  of  the  town  council  at  Middletown,  16G5. 
So  far  as  known  they  have  been  operated  continuously  since  that 
date. 

In  1852  a  quarry  was  opened  at  Cromwell,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  two  miles  above  Portland,  and  another  in  1886,  both  of  which 
are  now  in  active  operation. 

The  stone  at  both  places  is  regularly  stratified,  the  strata  having 
a  gentle  dip  of  a  few  degrees  to  the  west.  The  separate  beds  have  a 
thickness  vairying  from  a  few  inches  to  ten  or  twelve  feet,  in  a  few 
places  much  more. 

The  entire  thickness  of  the  stone  is  not  known,  but  it  is  known  to 
be  more  than  500  feet  in  one  place.  The  Middlesex  Quarry  Company 
quarried  to  a  depth  of  200  feet  and  drilled  with  a  core  drill  312  feet 
more,  giving  a  total  of  512  feet,  without  any  perceptible  change  in 
the  character  of  the  rock.  How  much  deeper  it  is,  is  not  known. 
None  of  the  openings  are  more  than  250  feet  in  depth,  the  companies 
finding  it  more  profitable  to  strip  a  new  area  than  to  quarry  deeper 
than  that.  Dana,  in  his  manual  of  geology,  states  that  an  artesian 
boring  was  carried  down  4,000  feet  at  New  Haven  through  porous 
sandstone. 

The  stone  varies  slightly  in  color  and  considerably  in  texture. 
Layers  of  good,  fine-grained  brownstone  alternate  with  layers  of 
coarse  conglomerate,  fine  conglomerate  and  streaks  of  shale.  The 
conglomerate  is  not  limited  to  any  one  part  of  the  quarry,  but  is  more 
abundant  towards  the  top  than  at  the  bottom.  Much  of  the  coarse 
stone  goes  into  the  waste,  but  that  with  smaller  pebbles  is  sold  as 
second  and  third  class  stone.  More  than  half  the  stone  is  thrown 
out  as  waste. 

The  analyses  of  the  stone  show  it  to  be  less  highly  siliceous  than 
many  other  sandstones,  and  from  the  standpoint  of  durability  alone 
a  lower  percentage  of  alumina  might  be  desired,  in  so  far  as  it  ab- 
sorbs moisture,  thus  hastening  decay  in  the  scaling,  cracking  and 
disintegration.  This  is  partly  balanced  by  the  fact  that  clay  is  a 
much  softer  cement  than  silica,  and  hence  the  stone  is  more  easily 
cut  and  dressed. 


108  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

Analyses  of  Connecticut  Brownstone. 

Portland.  Cromwell. 

Silica  |Si()2),   . 70,11 70.S4 

Alumina  (A12O3), 13.49 13.15 

Iron  oxide  (Fe2O3), 4.85 2.48 

Lime  (CaO), 2.39 3.09 

Magnesia  (MgO),  1 .44 Trace. 

Potash  (K2O), : 3.30 

Soda  (Na2O), 7.37 5.43 

Loss, 1.01 


Total, 100.00  100.00 

Mineralogieally  it  is  madeupof  quartz,  feldspar  and  mica — granitic 
detritus.     The  mica  is  present  throughout  the  bed,  'occurring  even  in 
the  coarse  conglomerate,  but  more  abundantly  in  the  thinly  lami- 
nated part  of  the  bed.     The  stone  has  a  dark  brown  color,  remark 
ably  uniform  throughout  all  the  quarries. 

There  are  now  three  companies  at  Portland.     The  Braiuard  Com 
pany  and  the  Shaler  and  Hall  Company  combined  this  year  into  the 
Brainard,  Shaler  &  Hall  Company,  which  operates  all  the  quarries 
formerly  run  by  the  two  companies.     The  Shaler  and  Hall  Company 
has  been  in  existence  since  1788,  owning  the  lower  or  south  qua.rry 
at  Portland.     The  Brainard  Company  started  in   1812,   under  the 
name  of  E.  and  S.  Brainard,  changing  to  E.  and  S.  Brainard  &  Com- 
pany, later  to  Braiuard  &  Company,  and  finally  in  1879  to  the  Brain 
a i*d  Quarry  Company,   which  it  remained  until  the  change  above 
noted  this  year. 

The  Middlesex  Quarry  Company  was  organized  in  1841  by  the 
union  of  the  Patten  and  Russell  and  the  original  Shaler  and  Hall 
quanry.  They  operate  the  upper  or  north  opening  which  covers 
about  30  acres,  and  is  worked  in  several  different  places. 

The  other  company  at  Portland  is  the  Connecticut  Steam  Brown 
Stone  Company,  which  has  no  quarry,  but  operates  a  large  steam 
mill  where  stone  from  the  other  quarries  is  cut  and  dressed  for  posi- 
tion in  the  building  before  shipping.  This  was  established  in  1884, 
arid  one  wonders  on  seeing  the  large  amount  of  stone  that  annually 
passes  through  this  mill,  why  such  a  mill  was  not  operated  there 
long  before  that  time. 

There  are  three  companies  at  Cromwell,  and  as  at  Portland  two 
quarry  companies  and  one  mill  company.  The  Connecticut  Free 
Stone  Quarry  Company  opened  its  quarry  in  1852,  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  16  years,  when  it  was  leased1  to  the  Portland  quarries,  it 
has  been  in  operation  ever  since. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  109 

The  New  England  Brownstone  Company  has  been  in  operation 
since  1886,  and  lias  done  an  extensive  business. 

The  Middlesex  Steam  Brownstone  Company  has  a  mill  on  the 
premises  of  the  New  England  Brownstone  Company,  in  which  the 
stone  is  prepared  for  its  place  in  the  buildings.  The  stone  at  Crom- 
well is  very  similar  to  that  at  Portland  in  character.  There  is  a 
heavier  bed  of  glacial  material  overlying  it,  and  as  far  as  one  can 
judge  from  a  hasty  inspection  of  the  quarry  walls,  there  is  more 
waste  than  in  the  Portland  quarries. 

The  quarries,  yards  and  mills  art  both  Portland  and  Cromwell  are 
equipped  with  modern  machinery  and  appliances.  The  drilling  is 
done  almost  entirely  with  steam  drills  and  the  steam  channeler  is 
used  to  some  extent,  but  the  presence  of  numerous  bedding  seams 
enables  them  to  loosen  the  stone  much  more  cheaply  with  the  Knox 
blasting  system,  which  is  used  in  all  the  quairries.  The  channelers: 
are  used  for  cutting  out  corners,  cross  cutting  at  the  ends,  etc. 

Formerly  the  stone  was  dragged  from  the  quarry  to  the  boat  land- 
ing by  oxen,  at  one  time  as  many  as  200  cattle  being  in  use  for  this 
purpose.  Steam  has  almost  entirely  replaced  the  cattle,  two>  yoke 
at  the  Cromwell  quarry  being  all  there  are  in  use  at  the  present  time 
(October,  1896).  The  stone  is  now  lifted  .from  the  bottom  of  the 
quarry  with  steam  hoists  on  large  cranes  and  placed  on  the  railroad 
car,  frequently  200  feet  or  more  above  the  quarry  floor.  The  edge  of 
the  quarry  is  studded  with  these  large  cranes,  capable  of  lifting  a  car 
load  of  stone  in  a  few  minutes.  There  are  several  large  locomotive 
cranes  moving  on  the  track  about  the  yards  loading  and  unloading 
si  one.  There  is  a  railway  switch  from  the*  New  York,  New  Haven 
and  Hartford  railroad  to  each  of  the  quairries,  and  the  Cromwell 
quarries  also  have  connection  with  the  New  England  railroad,  but 
the  greater  part  of  the  stone  is  shipped  by  boat  on  the  Connecticut 
river  from  docks  near  each  of  the  qua/rries. 

Prices  of-  the  Connecticut  brownstone  ranged  from  50  cents  per 
cubic  foot  in  1844  to  fl.26  in  1874.  and  has  since  dropped  until  at 
the  present  time  the  price  is  95  cents  for  first  class  brownstone.  The 
prices  for  second  grade  and  inferior  stone  is  much  lower.  The  an- 
nual production  of  stone  o<f  the  first  quality  during  prosperous  years 
varies  from  850,000  to  1,000,000  cubic  feet;  of  the  coarser,  cheaper 
grades,  about  twice  that  amount  is  produced.  During  the  last  two 
years  the  value  of  the  output  has  been  bellow  $400,000  annually. 

The  Connecticut  brownstone  has  been  extensively  used  in  all  the 
eastern  cities,  especially  those  along  the  seaboard,  New  York 
naturally  being  the  largest  consumer,  where  some  of  the  most  elegant 
residences  and  public  buildings  are  constructed  of  it.  In  smaller 
quantities  it  has  been  shipped  all  over  the  United  States  and  even  to 
Canada.  Senator  Flood's  mansion,  on  Nob  Hill,  in  San  Francisco, 


110  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  off.   Doc. 

is  of  stone  from  the  Middlesex  quairry,  which  was  first  sent  bv  boat 
to  Newark,  where  it  was  dressed  and  crated,  reloaded  and  shipped  by 
way  of  Cape  Horn  to  San  Francisco. 

For  many  years  these  quarries  were  excessively  prosperous,  and 
with  from  1,200  to  1,500  men  at  work,  could  not  fill  all  the  orders, 
but  the  financial  dullness  of  the  country  and  other  causes  have 
changed  this  condition,  and  they  are  now  in  active  competition  \villi 
other  quarries  for  orders.  Not  only  has  the  opening  of  many  new 
quarries  elsewlhere  lessened  the  trade,  but  the  facilities  for  handling 
the  stone  have  improved  so  that  there  is  scarcely  any  limit  to  the 
amount  of  stone  that  could  be  put  out  on  demand.* 

iNDlANA.f 

Brownstone  occurs  in  several  localities  in  the  Carboniferous  sand- 
stones of  western  Indiana.  The  stone  has  been  quarried  at  Mans- 
field, Hillsboro,  Greenhill,  Judson,  Portland  Mills,  Bloomfield  and  St. 
Anthony,  but  the  only  quarries  now  in  active  operation  are  those  at 
SI.  Anthiony.t 

Two  defects  found  in  the  stone  are  lack  of  uniformity  and  the 
occurrence  of  iron  blisters.  While  these  injure  much  otherwise  good 
stone,  it  nevertheless  remains  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  excellent 
hrownstone  not  yet  quarried  in  the  vicinity  of  Mansfield,  Bloomfield 
and  St.  Anthony.  J.  B.  Lyne  &  Son  operate  a  well  equipped  quarry 
at  the  latter  place,  having  switch  connection  with  the  Louisville, 
Evansville  and  St.  Louis  railroad. 

Quarries  have  been  worked  to  considerable  extent  at  Mansfield 
and  Hillsboro,  the  latter  on  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  and 
St.  Louis  railroad  (Big  Four),  and  the  former  connected  by  short  line 
with  the  Big  Four  at  Carbon  and  the  Vandalia  line  at  Brazil.  A 
quarry  was  opened  at  Portland  Mills  in  1895  from  whida;  a  mil  way  'is 
contemplated  to  the  Indianopolis,  Decatur  and  Western  Railroad, 
six  miles  distant. 

The  Indiana  Brownstone  is  soft,  especially  when  first  quarried,  and 
is  not  fit  for  paving  or  any  use  where  subject  to  abrasion,  but  is  well 

*  References: 

1.  The  Mid'dletown  Tribune,   Middletown,  Connecticut,   Souvenir  edition,   1896, 
by  H.  F.  I>onl(an  and  E.  F.  Bigelow,  contains  illustrated  article  on  the  Brown- 
stone  quarries. 

2.  Stone,  Volume  IX,  No.  I,  June,  1894.    Co/piously  illustrated  article  by  Bur- 
ton H.  Allbee. 

3.  Mineral  Industry,  New  York.  Vol.  Ill,  1894,  pages  510-513. 

4.  Mineral  Industry,  Vol.   IV,  1895,  pages  555-558. 

Papers  on  the  fossils  and  the  geological  relations  of  the  stone  are  to  be  found 
in  the  scientific  journals  and  proceedings  by  the  score.  See  Bulletin  85,  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  for  list. 

tCarboniferous  Sandstones  of  Western  Indiana,  by  T.  C.  Hopkins,  in  T'wen- 
.tieth  Annual  Report  of  the  State  Geologist  of  Indiana,  1895,  gives  an  illustrated 
description  of  the  brownstones  of  the  Stiate,  with  maps  of  the  area. 

jThis  stone  which  could  be  quarried  with  profit  in  some  localitias  has  here  to 
compete  with  the  famous  Oolitic  Limeston0  of  Indiana  on  one  si-de  and  the 
and  Lemont  stone  on  the  other  hand. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  131 

adapted  to  building  purposes,  being  soft  and  easily  worked,  and  at 
the  same  time  exceedingly  durable. 

MARYLAND. 

So  far  as  known  the  only  locality  in  Maryland  where  brown  stone 
has  been  quarried  for  moire  than  local  usage,  is  near  the  mouth  of 
Seneca  creek,  in  Montgomery  county.  This  stone  is.  described  by 
Merrill  as  of  a  light  reddish  brown  color,  even  texture,  and  well 
adapted  to  all  manner  of  building  purposes  and  ornamental  work,  in 
.fact  he  pronounced  it  one  of  the  best  of  the  Trias&ic  brownstones. 
The  Smithsonian  Institute  buildingerected  in  1848  and  1854  from  this 
stone  shows,  it  is  said,  but  few  defects  from  weathering.  In  some 
portions  of  the  rock  there  are  numerous  clay  holes,  but  these  may 
generally  be  avoided  by  careful  selection.  It  could  not  be  ascer- 
tained whether  the  quarries  are  now  in  operation  or  not,  as  two  let- 
ters to  the  companies  elicited  no  response. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  Triassic  brownstone  of  the  same  age  as  the  Portland  stone, 
extends  up  the  Connecticut  valley  as  far  as  the  northern  boundary 
of  Massachusetts,  but  so  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  the  only  place 
it  has  been  quarried  to  any  extent  in  the  state  is  ait  Ela&t  Long- 
meadow.  The  principal  operators  here  are  Norcross  Bros.,  and 
James  and  Mara.  Three  other  companies  have  been  operating  there 
in  irecent  years,  whether  at  the  present  time  or  not  is  not  known. 
The  quarries  are  located  on  the  New  England  railroad  between 
Springfield  and  Hairtford,  and  within  easy  access  of  the  Boston'  and 
Albany  railroad. 

The  Norcross  Bros,  quarry  three  shades  of  stone,  the  tracfe  names 
by  which  they  are  known  being  "Maynard,"  a  bright  red  stone, 
"Kibbe,"  a  dark  red,  and  "Worcester,"  a  brown.  One  or  more  of 
these  shades  no  doubt  occurs  in  the  other  quarries.  No  further  in- 
formation is  at  hand  concerning  the  nature  of  the  deposit  oir  of  the 
extent  of  the  quarries.  Analyses  and  tests  of  the  stone  are  given 
in  the  tables  on  pages  13  and  30.* 

MICHIGAN. 

Brown  sandstone  of  the  Potsdam  formation  occurs  in  considerable 
quantities  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior  in  Northern  Michigan. 
It  has  been  qua-rried  at  Marquette,  Portage  Entry  and  L'Anse.  Let- 
ters of  inquiry  to  the  different  companies  said  to  be  in  operation 
there  elicited  responses  from  but  two,  the  Portage  Entry  Quarries 
Co.,  who  has  quarries  in  the  Portage  Entry  red  stone  and  the  Mar- 

*References: 

1.  Stones  for  Building1  and  Decoration,  by  G.  P.  M'errill. 

2.  Geology  of  Massachusetts,  by  C.  H.  Hitchcock. 


112  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

quette  brownstone,  and  the  L' Anise  Brownstone  Company,  with  quar- 
ries at  L'Anse,  both  companies  having  offices  in  Chicago. 

At  Portage  Entry  the  stone  is  quarried  quite  extensively  and 
shipped  by  boat  to  the  different  lake  ports,  and  thence  by  rail  to 
many  of  the  cities  throughout  the  United  States,  The  stone  is  fau'Jy 
well  known  in  the  eastern  as  well  as  the  western  markets. 

The  company  reports  about  10  feet  of  workable  red  stone  overlain 
by  20  to  30  feet  of  rock.  It  is  quarried  by  channeling  machines, 
steam  drills,  and  the  use  of  the  Knox  blasting  system.  The  quarries 
have1  been  operated  about  15  years.  One  variety  of  this  stone  as  it 
appears  in  samples,  has  a  brick  red  color,  quite  fine  grain,  and  is 
rather  soft,  but  not  friable.  So  far  as  observed  by  the  writer,  it  has 
no  exact  counterpart  in  the  brownstones  of  this  country  outside  of 
the  Lake  Superior  region.  It  resembles  closely  some  of  the  English 
stone  that  is  imported  into  this  country. 

Another  variety  is  that  known  as  the  "Raindrop  Sandstone,"  which 
has  a  medium  fine  grain,  light,  brownish  red  color,  mottled  in  places 
with  gray.  Analyses  and  tests  of  both  varieties  are  given  on  page  Itt. 

The  L'Anse  Brownstone  Company  operate  quarries  on  the  east 
shore  of  Keweenaw  Bay,  about  two  and  one-half  miles  north  of 
L'Anse,  Baraga  county,  Michigan.  The  quarried  stone  is  shipped 
both  by  rail  and  by  boat.  The  stone  in  the  sample  furnished  is  a 
fine  grained  brownstone  resembling  the  Connecticut  stone,  but 
having  less  mica,  and  (in  tJhe  sample)  free  from  pebbles.* 

MINNESOTA 

Red  or  brown  stone  has  been  quarried  at  New  Ulm  and  various 
other  points  in  the  southwest  part  of  Minnesota,  and'  in  larger  quan- 
tities at  Fond  du  Lac  and  vicinity,  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake 
Superior.  The  stone  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  state  is  a  quairtzite 
similar  to  the  well-known  Sioux  Falls  stone,  but  said  to  be  for  the 
most  part  where  it  is  worked  in  very  thin  layers.  It  appears  to  have 
little  more  than  local  usage.f 

The  stone  at  Fond  du  Lac  is  supposed  to  be  of  the  same  formation 
as  that  at  New  Ulm,  and  that  further  east  at  Marquette,  in  Michigan, 
that  is,  the  Potsdam.  It  is  said$  to  have  in  general  a  reddish  brown 
color,  variously  nrarked  with  spots  and  stripes  of  lighter  shade.  It 
has  occasional  grains  of  quartz  as  large  as  a  pea  or  even  as  large  as 

*  References: 

1.  Stones  for  Building  and  Decoration.  G.  P.  Merrill,  New  York,  1891,  p.  264. 

2.  Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Geological  Survey  for  the  years  1891  and  1892. 
pp.  156  and  157. 

3.  A  Sketch  of  the  Geology  of  the  Marquette  and  Keweenawan  Districts,  by 
M.  E.  Waidswrrth,  in  Along  the  South  Shore  of  Lake  Superior,  by  Jul.  Ralph. 

4.  The  Siand?itones  of  Lake  Superior,   by  H.   G.   Rothwrll,   Miaroh  Stone,  1894. 
fThe  Stone  Trade  News,  December  15,  1896,  states  that  the  red  stone  quarries 

at  J'asper,  Minnesota,  employing  abouit  seventy-five  men,   shut  down  November 
21    for  the  season. 
}  Geology  of  Minnesota,  Vol.  I,  p.  181. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  113 

a  hen's  egg,  distributed  through  the  lighter  portion  of  it.  However, 
a  small  portion  is  conglomeritic,  and  there  is  said  to  be  a  great  abun- 
dance of  stone  of  a  good  quality. 

The  stone  consists  about  two-thirds  of  rounded  and  sub-angular 
grains  of  quartz  and  nine-tenths  of  the  remainder  feldspar,  often 
crowded  and  darkened  by  ochre  and  ferrite,  but  sometimes  white  and 
occasionally  a  light  green  angular  grain,  apparently  hornblende  or 
augite.  There  are  a  few  grains  of  black  magnetite  and  a  little  cal- 
cite.  (See  tables  for  crushing  tests  and  analyses!.) 

On  the  Great  Northern  and  Eastern  Minnesota  Railway  at  Sand- 
stone, on  Kettle  river,  Pine  county,  is  probably  the  largest  and  best 
equipped  sandstone  quarry  in  the  state.  It  belongs  to  the  Potsdam 
formation'  the  same  as  the  Pond  du  Lac,  but  is  not  properly  classed 
as  a  brownstone,  as  it  has  a  beautiful  pink  or  salmon  color.  This  is 
«n  exceedingly  handsome  stone,  and  the  appearance  of  the  stone  in 
samples  and  the  result  of  the  test  and  analysis  (see  tables,  pages  13 
and  30),  would  indicate  a  stone  of  great  durability.  The  quarries  are 
operated  by  the  Minnesota  Sandstone  Ownipnny,  Minneapolis,  and  are 
said  to  be  well  equipped  with  modern  machinery,  and  the  stone  mill 
fitted  for  work  of  all  kinds.* 

NEW  JERSEY. 

The  Brownstone  quarries  of  New  Jersey  are  the  nearest  competi- 
tors of  those  of  Pennsylvania,  and  as  such  are  of  considerable  in- 
terest. 

The  New  Red  formation  continues  in  a  northeast  direction  from 
the  Delaware  (river,  entirely  through  the  state  of  New  Jersey  to  the 
Hudson  river  in  the  state  of  New  York.  Brownistones  suitable  for 
building  purposes  have  been  quarried  at  a  great  many  different 
places  along  the  area.  Some  of  these  quarries  have  been  in  opera- 
tion for  many  years,  a  number  have  been  abandoned,  some  tempor- 
arily, isome  permanently. 

The  most  productive  quarries  at  present  are  those  at  Avondale, 
and  those  at  Stockton  (Prallsville).  There  are  quarries  at  Newark, 
Little  Falls,  Raven  Rock,  Wilburtha  and  Princeton,  operated  to  some 
extent.  There  are  said  to  be  active  quarries  at  Martinsville  and 
Warrenville. 

Brownstone  has  been  quarried  at  the  following  points,  some  of 
which  may  still  produce  good  stone:  Patterson,  three  quarries1  south 
of  the  city;  Orange.  Bells'  quarry;  New  Brunswick,  Jas.  Neilson's 
quarry;  Kingston;  Milford,  flagstone,  Clark's  and  McGuire's  & 

*References: 

1.  Building  Stones  of  Minnesota,  by  N.  H.  Winchell,  in  Geology  of  Minnesota 
Vol.  I,  1384. 

2.  Illustrated  circular,    Minnesota   Sandstone   Company. 

8  A-22-96 


114  APPENDIX— ANNUAL,  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

Rawling's  quarries;  Woodville,  Burrough's  flagstone  quarry;  Alpine; 
Englewood,  from  drift  boulders;  Homestead,  red  sandstone,  poor 
quality;  Salterville,  stone  for  local  use  only;  Stone  House  Plains; 
Llewellyn  Park;  Snake  Hill;  Franklin  Lake,  local  use;  Haledon; 
Pompton,  James  Ludlam's  quarry;  Schuyler's  Basin;  West  Orange; 
Washington  Valley;  Pluckamin,  Dow's  quarry;  Barking  Ridge;  Ten 
Mile  Run;  Rocky  Hill;  BrookviLle,  two  quarries.  Most  of  the  quarries 
named  are  like  many  of  those  through  the  brownstone  region  of 
Pennsylvania,  small  openings  operated  at  intervals  to  supply  the 
local  demand. 

Probably  the  largest  quantity  of  fine  brownstone  comes  from  the 
Avondale  or  Bellville  quarries,  operated  by  the  Passat c  Quarry  Com- 
pany and  the  Belleville  Stone  Company  of  New  Jersey 

Quarries  were  opened  here  more  than  100  years  ago,  and  have  been 
more  or  less  extensively  worked  for  35  or  40  years.  At  one  time 
(1881)  there  were  375  men  at  work  producing  annually  stone  valued 
at  |225,000. 

The  brownstone  is  50  to  70  feet  thick,  including  considerable  in- 
tercalary brown  shale  and  some  conglomerate.  It  has  a,  gentle  dip 
of  8-10  degrees  to  the  west,  so  that  the  bed  is  getting  deeper  as  it  is 
worked  from  the  outcrop.  They  are  now  below  the  level  of  the  river 
and  have  much  pumping  to  do.  The  color  varies  from  a  gray  to  a 
dark  brown,  but  the  prevailing  color  is  a  light  brown.  As  with  most 
brownstones  it  is  of  poor  quality  near  the  surface,  being  cut  up  by 
weathering  agencies  into  small  dimensions  and  is  partially  disinte- 
gra.l  ing.  In  the  interior  the  bedls  are  heavier  and  more  regular,  yet 
there  is  much  waste  throughout  the  wlhiole  bed.  The  most  stone  oc- 
curs near  the  bottom  of  the  quarry.  It  has  a  moderately  fine  grain, 
works  freely,  and  takes  a  smooth  finish.  It  makes*  a  desirable  build- 
ing stone,  and  has  an  extensive  use  in  New  York  and  other  eastern 
cities. 

The  channeling  machine  is  used  a  little  in  the  heavier  layers  in 
the  bottom  of  the  quarry,  but  most  of  the  stone  is  loosened  from 
the  quarry  by  wedging  or  blasting,  the  Knox  blasting  system  being 
used.  • 

The  quarries  are  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Passaic  river,  and  near 
the  Newark  and  Patterson  railroad,  thus  having  shipping  facilities 
both  by  water  and  by  rail. 

The  quarries  at  Newark  were  at  one  time  among  the  most  pro- 
ductive in  the  State,  the  estimated  value  of  the  product  in  1881  being 
|120,000.  The  condition  at  the  present  time  is  not  known.  They  are 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  Passaic  river  and  the  Erie  and  the  Dela- 
ware, Lacka wanna  and  Western  railroads.  The  quarry  openings  are 
40  to  60  feet  deep,  in  whidh  the  good  stone  is  said  to  be  20  to  30  feet 
thick,  associated  with  shale,  and  overlain  wih  glacial  drift  10  to  20 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  OOLLEGK.  115 

feet  thick.  The  even  grain  and  the  pleasing  shade  of  color  of  this 
stone  make  it  a  mucn  prized  'building'  stone.*  The  quarries  in  the  city 
of  Newark  appear  to  have  been  abandoned). 

The  Stockton-Prallsville  quarries  are  among  the  most  extensive  in 
the  state.  Only  a  small  proportion  of  their  product  is  used  for 
buildings,  almost  the  entire  product  being  used  for  bridges.  There 
are  nine  large  openings,  six  of  which  are  operated  by  the  S.  B.  Twin- 
ing Company,  one  by  Wm.  Ledger,  one  by  John  Ledger  and  one  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company.  They  are  all  close  to  the  Bel- 
videre  division  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  and  to  the  feeder  to  the 
Delaware  and  Raritan  canal.  The  stone,  which  is  quite  hard,  varies 
in  color  from  a  light  brown- to  a  light  gray,  and  very  much  resembles 
the  Luniberville  stone  in  its  hardness  and  color,  apparently  from  the 
strike  of  the  rocks  forming  part  of  the  same  bed.  There  are  several 
streaks  of  conglomerate,  some  of  it  quite  coarse,  with  pebbles  two  or 
three  inches  in  diameter.  In  one  of  the  openings  the  stone  is  very 
coarse  grained,  containing  large  crystals  of  feldispair  and  quartz. 
Like  the  Lumberville  stone,  while  it  is  quite  hard  to  cut  and  dress, 
it  is  easily  split,  and  can  be  readily  madfe  into  rock  faced)  work. 

The  Wilbur tha  (Greensburg)  quarries  were  at  one  time  among  the 
most  productive  in  the  State,  but  at  the  present  time  they  do  not  ap- 
pear to  be  very  active,  some  idle  entirely,  and  some  working  on  a 
very  small  scale.  These  quarries  have  produced  great  quantities  of 
brownstone  known  in  the  markets  as  the  Trenton  Brownstone,  the 
quarries  being  but  a  lew  miles  above  Trenton. f 

The  thickness  of  the  stone  in  the  Wilburtha  quarries  is  25  to  «i5 
feet  including  some  intercalary  shale.  Like  all  the  stone  of  the 
Delaware  valley  it  has  a  light  brown  color,  not  so  light,  however,  as 
the  Stockton  and  Lumberville  stone,  and  about  the  same  as  the 
Yardley  stone.  It  resembles  the  Yardley  stone  in  its  softness,  being 
much  softer  than  the  Stockton  stone.  The  Wilburtha  quarries,  like 
the  Stockton  quarries,  are  along  the  Belvidere  division  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad,  and  the  Delaware  and  Raritan  canal. 

There  are  three  quarries  at  Martinsville,  New  Jersey,  but  one  of 
them  ha>s  been  abandoned,  and  the  other  only  furnishes  rough  stone 
for  foundations.  The  Bartte  quarry  furnishes  large  quantities  of 
line  cut  stone  for  buildings,  most  of  it  a  light  gray  color.J 

Handsome  building  stone  has  been  quarried  at  Little  Falls,  Trinity 
Church  and  Trinity  Chapel,  New  York,  and  the  United  State®  Cus- 
tom House  and  Postoffice,  at  Newark,  attesting  its  beauty.  There 

*T*he  daifca  in  regard  to  the  Newark  quarries  is  from  the  Annual  Report  State 
Geologist  of  New  Jersey,  for  1868  and  1881. 

frrenton  brownstone  now  may  mean  stone  from  any  of  the  Delaware  valley 
quarries;  besides  the  Wilburtha  quarries,  it  includes  the  Y>a<rdley,  Pennsylvania; 
Sl/ac'kton,  New  Jersey,  and  Lumberville,  Pennsylvania,  quarries. 

J  Annual  Report  State  Geologist,  New  Jersey,  1881,  p.  54. 


116  APPENDIX—  ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.   Doc. 

are  said  to  be  three  grades,  a  light  brown,  a  light  gray,  and  a  dark 
brown. 

Three  quarries  have  been  operated  at  Patterson,  but  are  not  known 
to  be  active  at  present.  At  Pleasant  Valley  and  Washington  Valley 
are  quarries  where  nice  brownstone  has  been  quarried  in  years  past. 


YOBK. 

Limiting  the  term  brown>stone  to  the  brownstone  of  Triassic  age, 
New  York  has  little  worth  mentioning,  there  being  only  a  few  small 
quarries  which  furnish  stone  for  local  use,  located  along  the  Hudson, 
at  Nyack  and  Haverstraw. 

Valuable  quarries  of  red  and  brownstone  occur  in  New  York  in 
formations  other  than  the  Triassic.  From  the  Potsdam  sandstone 
of  Lower  Silurian  age  near  Potsdam,  pink  and  red  sandstone  are 
quarried  in  large  quantities.  The  stone  is  hard,  strong,  durable,  fine 
grained  and  a  valuable  building  stone.  It  might  almost  be  called  a 
quartzite,  so  hard  it  is.  Despite  the  fact  that  it  is  difficult  to  quarry 
and  work,  it  is  an  important  and  valuable  stone,  because  of  its 
beautiful  color  and  great  strength  and  durability. 

It  is  quarried  extensively  by  the  Potsdam  Red  Sandstone  Company 
and  the  Clarkson  Quarries  Company.  In  a  series  of  comparative 
tests  published  by  Professor  Smock,*  the  Potsdam  stone  stood  the 
tests  better  than  any  other  stone  on  the  list. 

The  Potsdam  stone  is  quarried  at  Port  Henry  and  other  points  in 
New  York,  but  as  it  is  mostly  of  a  gray  rolorf  it  does  not  come  in 
the  province  of  this  report. 

The  most  important  brown  or  red  stone  in  the  State  is  that  from 
the  Medina  red  formation  in  the  western  part  of  the  State.  The 
principal  quarries  are  located  along  the  New  York  Central  railroad 
west  of  Rochester,  at  Medina,  Albion,  Lockport,  Hindsburg,  Hulber- 
ton,  Holley  and  Brookport.  Merrill  <saysj  the  leading  varieties  arc 
three,  known  as  the  Medina  red  stone,  the  white  and  gray  Medina, 
and  the  variegated  red  and  gray.  The  quarries  in  this  district  are 
worked  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  their  equipment  is  adequate  to  a 
large  annual  production. 

The  aggregate  output  is  larger  and  more  valuable  in  dimension 
stone  for  dressing  than  any  other  quarry  district  in  the  state.  The 
stone  'has  gained  a  well  deserved  reputation  for  its  value  as  a  beauti- 
ful and  durable  building  material,  and  its  more  general  employment, 
both  in  construction  and  in  paving  is  much  to  be  desired. 

This  stone  has  been  used  extensively  in  Buffalo,  both  in  paving 
and  in  construction,  a  great  many  churches  and  fine  residences  being 


*  Bulletin   New  York  State  Museum,  Volume  II..   No.  10. 

f  Bulletin  New  York  State  Museum,  Volume  III,  No.  15,  pp.  391-4. 

j  Bulletin  No.  16,  Volume  III,  New  York  State  Museum,  pp.  386. 


No.   22.  PENNSYLVANIA   STATE   COLLEGE.  117 

built  of  it.     It  is  fully  as  brown  as  much  of  the  Triassic  browiistone, 
but  hardly  as  uniform  in  color. 

The  Medina  stone  has  also  been  quarried  at  Oswego,  Oswego  Falls 
and  Granby,  Oswego  county,  that  at  the  first  two  localities  being  of 
an  inferior  quality.  The  quarry  at  Granby  on  the  Delaware,  Laoka- 
wanna  and  Western  railroad  operated  by  the  Granby  Brownstone 
Company,  produces  a  fine  grained  purplish  red  stone  used  for  build- 
ing in  the  neighboring  towns.* 

NORTH  CAROLINA. 

The  Triassic  brownstone  of  the  same  age  and  similar  in  appear- 
ance to  that  in  the  more  northern  states  occurs  in  commercial  quan- 
tities in  several  places  in  North  Carolina.  It  has  been  quarried  at 
Wadesborough,  Anson  county;  Gulf  and  Egypt,  Chatham  county, 
and  Sanford,  Moore  county.  Letters  of  inquiry  to  the  different  com- 
panies said  to  be  in  operation  recently  elicited  replies  from  but  one, 
the  Aldrich  Stone  Company  at  Sanford,  who  opened  a  quarry  in  1893, 
whffh  has  been  in  active  operation  since  that  time.  This  quarry  is 
located  on  the  Seaboard  Air  Line  and  Cape  Fear  and  Yadldn  Valley 
railroads,  and  they  ship  stone  over  both  roads  to  the  southern  and 
eastern  cities. 

The  company  reports  a  thickness  of  12  feet  of  stone  that  have  been 
worked,  with  a  second  layer  not  yet  opened.  A  sample  of  the  stone 
furnished  by  the  company  shows  a  strong  stone  of  light,  pleasing 
color,  intermediate  in  s-hlade  between  the  bright  red  of  the  English 
stone,  and  the  dark  brown  of  the  New  England  stone.  See  tables 
pages  13  and  30  for  tests. 

At  Wadesborough  it  is  saidf  the  stone  lies  in  beds  from  two  to 
ten  feet  in  thickness,  which  are  inclined  to  an  angle  of  25  degrees.  It 
has  a  fine,  even  grain,  dark  brown  and  reddish  colors. 

OHIO. 

Brownstone  occurs  in  several  places  in  Ohio,  as  shown  by  the 
samples  in  Orton  Hall,  at  the  Ohio  State  University,  at  Columbus, 
but  the  only  one  known  in  the  general  market  is  the  Killbuck  stone. 
The  quarry  is  located  on  a  hill  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  above 
the  Killbuck  station,  on  a  branch  of  the  Akron,  Cleveland  and  Ohio 

*References: 

1.  Building    Stone   in   New   York,    by   J.    C.    Smock.     Bulletin   New   York   Stale 
Museum,  Volume  II,  No.  10. 

2.  Building  Stones  in  the  State  of  New  York,   by  J.   C.  Smock.     Bulletin  New 
York  State  Museum,  No.  3,  MaJrdh,  1888. 

3.  Report  on  Building-  Stones    by  Jamies  Hall,  in  Thirty-ninth  Annual  Report 
New  York  State  Museum,  1886. 

4.  Mineral   Resources  of  New  York  State,   by  F.  J.   H.   Merrill.     Bulletin  New 
York  S<ta  e  Museum,  Volume  III,  No.  15,  1895. 

5.  Stones  for  Building  and  Decoration,  by  G.  P.  Merrill,  New  York,  1891. 

6.  Poted'am  Red   Sandstone,    illustrated;   Stone,   Volume   VI,   No.   4,   pp.   289-301, 
March    1893. 

t  Merrill — Stones  for  Building  and  Decoration,   p.   274. 


118  APPENDIX— ANNUAL  REPORT  Off.  Doc. 

railway,  which  distance  the  stone  is  hauled  by  wagon.  The  quarry 
has  been  operated  since  1880  by  the  Killbuck  Sandstone  Company, 
and  the  stone  has  been  shipped  to  many  towns  in  Ohio,  to  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  small  quantities  to  other  states. 

The  stone  is  quite  variegated  in  color,  in  fact  as  far  as  could  be  ob 
served,  there  is  no  stone  of  uniform  color  in  the  quarry,  nor  in  the 
buildings  in  which  it  has  been  used.  The  color  varies  from  dark 
gray  to  dark  brown.  It  is  coarse  grained,  even  fine  conglomerate 
in  places.  The  thickness  of  the  quarry  stone  varies  from  eight  to 
thirty  feet  in  different  parts  of  the  quarry;  the  overlying  material 
consisting  of  shale  and  sandstone  is  25  to  30  feet  thick  in  the  middle 
of  the  quarry. 

The  stone  is  apparently  a  strong,  durable  one,  but  can  never  be 
classed  with  the  finer  building  stones,  because  of  its  variegated  color. 
The  drilling  is  done  by  hand  and  the  stone  wedged  or  blasted  loose. 

Another  quarry  is  being  opened  (1896)  about  a  mile  north  of  the 
Killbuck  station,  which  is  said  to  have  a  thickness  of  45  feet  of^jtone 
of  more  uniform  color  than  the  older  quarry. 

SOUIH  DAKOTA. 

At  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota,  there  is  a  red  quartzite  that  has 
been  used  to  some  extent  for  building  stone.  While  some  of  it  has 
been  used  in  Chicago,  and  a  little  in  the  eastern  cities,  the  output  is 
not  large,  and  within  the  last  year  or  two  the  quarries  have  either 
been  idle  or  running  on  a  small  scale.  Letters  to  the  different  com- 
panies elicited  no  response. 

It  resembles  the  Potsdam  stone  of  Potsdam,  New  York,  in  sonic 
respects,  but  seems  to  be  even  more  quartzitic.  It  resists  a  pressure 
of  25,000  pounds  to  the  square  inch,  and  will  take  a  brilliant  polish. 
Like  the  Potsdam  stone  it  varies  from  pink  to  red.  It  is  adapted  to 
either  exterior  work  or  interior  decoration,  where  the  expense  of 
working  it  will  justify  its  use.  While  one  of  the  most  durable  and 
handsome  stones,  it  is  very  difficult  to  work.  It  is  well  adapted  to 
city  work,,  as  it  is  not  easily  abraded  nor  easily  discolored.  Profes- 
sor Beyer,  of  Ames,  Iowa,  who  has  written  a  thesis  on  this  stone,* 
says  it  has  been  quarried  at  Sioux  Falls,  Dell  Rapids  and  Garretson, 
South  Dakota,  Granite  in  Iowa,  and  Pipestone  and  Lucerne  in  Min- 
nesota, but  in  all  these  places,  he  says,  little  has  been  done  in  the 
last  three  or  four  years. 

VIRGINIA. 

The  Triassic  brownstone  occurs  in  several  small  areas  in  the  vtate 
of  Virginia,  but  as  far  a<s  could  be  ascertained  the  only  place  it  has 
been  quarried  to  any  extent  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Manassas,  and  so  far 

*The  Sioux  Quartzlte  and  certain  associated  rocks,  by  Samuel  W.  Beyer,  in 
Iowa  Geological  Survey,  Volume  VI,  1896. 


No.  22.  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE   COLLEGE.  119 

us  is  known,  there  is  only  one  quarry  in  operation  there.  That  be- 
longs to  J.  R.  Tillett,  who  has  owned  the  quarry  about  seven  years, 
but  it  has  been  in  operation  about  thirty  years.  It  is  located  on  the 
Richmond  and  Danville  railroad,  owning  its  own  side  track.  The 
stone  is  described  by  Merrill  as  occurring  in  horizontal  layers*  lear 
the  top  of  a  low  hill.  The  layers  Vary  in  thickness  from  one  to  six 
feet,  and  have  been  quarried  to  a  depth  of  about  20  feet. 

WISCONSIN. 

Brownstone  occurs  in  Wisconsin  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Su- 
perior, not  far  west  of  the  Michigan  border.  The  stone  is  said  to  re- 
semble the  Portage  Entry  stone,  and  belongs  to  the  same  age.  There 
are  quarries  on  Bass  Island  and  on  Wilson  Island,  and  at  Houghton 
and  Wash-burn,  the  two  latter  having  boat  and  railway  transporta- 
tion, while  the  others  ship  by  boat. 

The  Prentice  Brownstone  Company  has  extensive  quarries  at 
Houghton,  Michigan.  Analysis  and  tests  of  their  stone  are  shown  in 
the  tables  on  pages  13  and  30.  No  samples  01*  description  of  the 
stone  is  at  hand,  nor  could  replies  be  secured  from  any  of  the  other 
companies. 

Professor  Con  over  stalest  regard  ing  Lake  Superior  stone  in  Wis- 
consin, that  it  is  composed  of  siliceous  grains,  medium  to  coarse,  in 
an  iron  or  clay  cement,  and  varying  from  yellow  to  deep  brown  MI 
color.  It  furnishes  a  handsome  building  stone,  the  chief  difficulty 
being  the  numerous  clay  pockets  that  pit  the  surface  of  the  stone. 
There  are  numerous  exposures  on  the  islands  and  along  the  lake 
shore  where  the  stone  can  be  loaded  directly  from  the  quarry  on  the 
boat.  The  large  quarry  at  Bass  Island,  not  then  (1880)  in  operation, 
has  a  thickness  of  20  feet  of  good  brownstone  of  much  the  same 
grade  as  the  Marquette  stone,  overlain  by  a  heavy  clay  stripping. 

ENGLISH  AND  SCOTCH  RED  STONE. 

JRed  sandstones  are  quarried  extensively  in  both  England  and 
Scotland,  but  a  comparatively  small  quantity  is  imported  into  this 
country.)]  The  best  stone  that  is  imported  into  this  country  is  said 
to  come  from  the  Annan  District,  Dumfries,  Scotland,  and  Cumber 
laud  county,  England.  The  Gatelawbridge  Scotch  redstone  is  also 
used  in  New  York.  The  Murray  quarry  of  Annan  is  said  to  be  the 
largest  of  all  and  furnishes  more  redstone  to  this  country  than  any 
other  quarry. 

*Stones  for  Building-  and  Decoration,  p.   284. 

t  Tenth  Census,  Volume  X,  p.  230. 

JThe  writer  is  indebted  ,io  George  W.  White,  of  New  York,  and  Frank  Wil- 
liamson and  William  Gray  &  Sons,  of  Philadelphia,  for  information  concerning 
the  foreign  stones  in  this  country. 

|| A  description  of  the  principal  varieties  may  be  found  in  Hull's  Building  and 
Ornamental  Stones,  and  a  briefer  description  in  Merrill's  Stones  for  Buildings 
and  Decorations. 


120  APPENDIX.  Off.    Doc. 

The  bright  red  color,  and  the  ease  with  which  it  is  worked,  are 
points  in  favor  of  most  of  the  foreign  stone,  as  none  of  the  eastern 
stones  of  this  country  have  as  bright  a  color  as  the  foreign  stone,  but 
one  variety  of  the  Michigan  stone,  from  Portage  Entry,  that  is  now 
coming  into  the  eastern  markets  very  closely  resembles  the  foreign 
stone  in  color,  and  the  red  stone  from  East  Longmeadow  is  said  to 
resemble  it  somewhat.  The  red  stone  from  these  two  localities  is 
said  to  be  largely  replacing  the  English  and  Scotch  redstone  in  the 
eastern  markets. 

Some  of  the  buildings  in  Philadelphia  in  which  the  foreign  red 
stone  is  used  are  the  Bourse,  Fidelity  and  Trust  Building,  Bank  of 
the  Republic,  Wood,  Brown  &  Company  building,  and  John  C.  Bul- 
litt's  residence.  The  stone  is  said  to  withstand  the  climate  better 
in  this  country  than  in  England. 

The  tenth  census  report  gives  red  and  brown  sandstone  used  in 
New  York  city  from  the  following  localities:  Corsehill  (near  Annan) 
about  60  miles  west  of  Glasgow,  dark  red  to  bright  pink,  /I < in- 
grained, wea-thers  well,  works  easily;  Ballochmile,  Forfarsh'ire,  Scot 
land,  darker  than  the  Gorsehill  stone;  Gatclawbridge,  .'>0  miles  from 
Ballochmile;  and  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Germany. 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENT. 


JNo.  22. 


INDEX. 


Page. 

Absorption    tests   of    brownstone 28 

Alumina  in  brownstones 14 

American   Brownstone   Company 61 

Analyses   of   Pennsylvania  brownstones,.  12 

brownstones 13 

Hummelstown  brownstones.  52 

Newtown    brownstones, 80 

Yardley     brownstones, 84 

Laurel  Run  red  stone 93 

Connecticut   brownstone,    ..  10S 

Berwyn 74 

Birdsboro    quarries 71 

Brown,     John,     quarry,     7fi 

Brownstones 14 

Absorption   tests    of 27 

Chemical   composition   of 10 

Colors    of 9 

Crushing  tests  of 28 

Definition    of ,.'..  "9 

Durability    of 21 

Fire   tests  of 22 

General    features    of ! '!  7 

In  New  York  city 7,25 

In   United    States   outside  of  Pennsyl- 
vania   (See    different    states),     ......  105-120 

List  of  buildings  constructed  of 39 

Literature   on g 

Local   features  of,    in   Pennsylvania,!  45 

Methods    of    quarrying 36 

Microscopic    features   of 18 

Mineral    composition    of,     15 

Occurrence  of  in  Pennsylvania :« 

Specific    gravity   of 26 

Statistics    of,     44 

Structural    features    of 16 

Textural   features  of 17 

Uses   and   adaptability   of 38 

Varieties    of    in    Pennsylvania, 20 

Brownstone    quarries    in   Pennsylvania,..  34 

Buckwalter  place, 74 

Buildings   of   Pennsylvania    brownstone, .  39 

Carversville   quarry,     85 

Chemical   composition   of  brownstones,...  10 

Colorado,    brownstones   in 106 

Colors  of  brownstones 9 

Colors  of  Hummelstown  brownstones.    ...  52 

Conestoga  valley   pink   stone 73 

Connecticut,    brownstone  in 106 

Conner's    quarries,     90 

Cooper  Brothers'   quarry,    101 

Co-operative   Brownstone  Company 60 

Cornwall  brownstone  quarries,    68 

Crushing    strength    of    brownstones 28,89,54 

Daneker's    quarries 99,100 

Derry    quarry,    63 

D'Invilliers,    E.   V 

Doylestown 77 

Durability  of  brownstone 11,21  55 

Elbow   quarries,    104 

Elizabeth  Creek  gap 69 

English   red   stone,    »  11.9 

Erb    quarry,     62 

Fort   Washington    quarry,     77 

Frazer,     Persifor 8 

Freestone 62 

Frog    Hollow 77 

Goldsboro   quarry 64 

Granite 86.91 

Grenoble    quarry 

Hammer    creek 68 

Hummel    quarry 61 

Hummelstown,  48 


Hummelstown    brownstone, 
Chemical   analysis   of,    . 

Color  of 

Crushing    test    of,     

Durability    of 

Microscopic    character, 

Quarries 

Structure  of,    

Texture  of,    . 


Page. 

30,48 

52 

, 52 

54 

55 

52 

56 

51 

51 

Hummelstown  Brown-Stone  Company,.  13,30,34,39 

Indiana    brownstone 110 

Iron   oxide  in   brownstone 14 

Johnson   quarry 74 

Julien,    Dr.   A 49 

Kimberton 74 

Kleinfeltersville    quarries 68 

Knox   blasting  system, 36 

Laurel   Run   red  stone 17,93,94,102 

Life  of  brownstone 25 

Loux    quarry 78 

Lumberville  Granite  Company, 90 

Lumberville    quarries,     86 

Lyman,    B.    S 9,46,86,82 

Map  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania  (frontispiece). 
Map   of   United    States    showing   location 

of   brownstone    quarries 106 

Maryland    brownstone Ill 

•  Massachusetts    brownstone Ill 

Mauch   Chunk  red  stone 91 

Analysis    of 93 

Description 92 

Distribution,        98 

Durability 97 

Local  details  of 98 

Methods    of   quarrying 98 

Microscopic   features   of 96 

Name 91 

Physical   test 93 

Uses   and   adaptability 97 

Merrill,   G.   P ft 

Mica    in    brownstone lo 

Michigan 111 

Micro-drawings 96, 87. 19, 53, 80 

Microscopic   features   of   brownstones 18,19 

M4croscopic    features    of      Hummelstown 

brownstone 52 

Middletown  and   Hummelstown  quarry...  61 

Mineral  composition  of  brownstone, 15 

Minnesota 112 

Mitchell's    quarry 80 

Mocanaqua 104 

Mohnsville    quarries,     70 

Mount   Clare   quarry 74 

Mount    Gretna   quarry 67 

New   Jersey  brownstone,    113 

New  Red  area  in  Pennsylvania 45 

Newtown  quarries 79,80 

New  York  brownstone 116 

Nicholson   quarries 

Norristown    quarries 74 

North  Carolina  brownstone 117 

Occurrence    of    brownstone    in    Pennsyl- 
vania  

Paxson's    quarry 90 

Pennsylvania    Brownstone   Company 

Phoenixville    quarry,     

Plucky    stone 62 

Portage    Entry   brownstone 112 

Port   Kennedy   Stone   Company 

]  Port    Indian 75 

I  Portland    quarries 10S 

Potsdam    sandstone,     11G 


(121) 


INDEX. 


Off.    Doc. 


Price's   quarry 

Quarrying 

Quarries,    list    of,    in    Pennsylvai 

Quarry    sap 

Quartzite,       

Reading,    brownstone    at 

Redington  &   Co.'s   quarry 

Reehling    quarry 

Reiser  &   Doland's    quarry 

Rupp   quarry 

Schaefferstown   quarry 

Schenlein's     quarry 

Scotch    red   stone 

Schaler,    N.   S 

Shonour's  q.uar'ry 

South   Dakota    ivd   stone 

Specific  gravity   of  brownstnnes. 
Statistics    of    brownstone    in    Pe 

nia 

Sternberg's,    J.   H.,    residence,    .. 


Page.    [  Page. 

70  Stoverdale   Brownstone  Company 60 

24,36     Structure    of   brownstones,     16 

34     Structure  of  Hummelstown   brownstones,  52 

24     Swatara    quarry 62 

.86,91,92     Texture    of    brownstone,     17 

42.69     Texture    of    Hummelstown    brownstone...  ."il 
100  !  Triassic  sandstone  (see  New  Red). 

04     Tyson's     quarry 76 

102  1  Valley    Forge 74 

61  |  Varieties    of    Pennsylvania    brownstones,  2i> 

68     Virginia    brownstone IIS 

76     Walker's   quarry 74 

119     Warner    quarry 61 

9     Watson's    quarry 82 

71  Westley's    quarry 70 

118     White  Haven  quarries '.is 

2ti     White    quarry S.". 

Wisconsin    brownstone 119 

44     Yardley    quarry 82 

72  Yerkes    Station 74 


YC   18684 


399370 


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